A fatal police shooting in Wisconsin has sparked new waves of protests and anger in the community after video shared online showed the moment cops “executed” a suspect in the middle of a busy street in broad daylight.
Footage shows four cops on Wednesday working to subdue a suspect as bystanders film the encounter in the state capital of Madison. The officers surround the man as he struggles to break free. While they have him by the arms and on the ground, one cop pulls out his gun and shoots the victim dead before reholstering his weapon and an officer puts the victim’s limp arms behind his body to handcuff him.
“This was an execution, and it never should have happened,” said Fran Hong, a Democratic state representative running for governor.
However, police stressed the incident remains under investigation and have begged the community not to jump to conclusions based on the video.
The latest in questionable police shootings in the U.S. has sparked a new wave of protests with hundreds marching on the Capitol chanting, “Arrest the cops!” They later took over the stage at a downtown summer concert to draw attention to the killing, prompting the organizers to cancel the performance underway.
Here is everything we know about the case:
open image in galleryWhat happened?
Bystanders shared disturbing footage of the moment officers wrestled the victim to the ground before one shot him in the head at the busy intersection of Madison’s South Baldwin and Williamson Streets around 1:34 p.m., a busy area surrounded by homes, bars, restaurants and shops.
The video showed the man, who police said was armed with a knife, being pinned to the ground by four officers after a pursuit on foot.
A “physical struggle” ensued as the man managed to briefly stand up, before an officer yelled, “Taser, Taser Taser” and pointed the weapon at him, which failed to discharge, police said.
Within a second, officers wrestled the man back down to the ground while one of them appeared to step on the man’s leg to keep him on the floor. At this moment, one of the officers pulled out his gun, pointed it at the victim, and fired three shots at close range.
A bystander’s screams were then heard nearby, as a woman yelled, “I saw everything, we watched it all.”
open image in gallery
open image in galleryThe victim was then slumped on the ground and did not appear to move again.
With the victim face down on the ground as blood poured from his head, the officer then placed the man’s hands behind his back. Another officer removed the knife, throwing it to the side.
Two other officers were seen standing around the scene, before police put on gloves and appeared to administer first aid.
The victim was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
open image in galleryWhat police say happened
Madison Police Chief Patterson appealed for calm at a press conference in the aftermath, recounting the official narrative and pointing out that video of the shooting seen online only offered one side of the story.
Patterson also explained that Madison police officers do not wear body cameras, so there is no bodycam footage of the shooting.
In a statement, the department said officers were responding to a report alleging that someone had been seen attempting to break into parked cars in the city’s Marquette neighborhood, according to a statement.
open image in galleryThe officers pursued the man, who was on a bicycle. “The man either fell or was pulled off the bicycle, this is still being determined, and a struggle ensued with officers in the middle of the intersection,” the statement said.
“During the struggle, the man pulled out a fix-blade knife and injured an officer. Officers continued to try to get the man into custody and a less lethal device, a taser, was used but it was unsuccessful.”
“The officer injured by the knife is the one who fired his weapon,” the statement continued. “Officers at the scene provided life-saving measures.”
A second officer was injured in the incident but police have not said how, only that they do not believe his wound was caused by the knife.
The four officers involved have since been placed on administrative leave according to procedure and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation has commenced an independent probe.
What do we know about the victim?
open image in galleryThe name of the man fatally shot by the officer has not been released by the authorities but police said he was in his thirties.
His race has not been disclosed by officials but Black advocacy groups in Madison said they believed he was Black, as they denounced the violence.
“Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” said Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based Black community advocacy group Urban Triage. “That is the cruelty of state violence.”
It comes after the fatal shooting of Tony Robinson, who was biracial, at the hands of white police officer on the same street in 2015. Large protests followed, but the district attorney did not file charges against police, determining the officer was justified.
Who was the officer who shot the victim?
The name of the officer who shot the victim has not been released by Madison police.
In a statement, the department described him as “a veteran officer” and confirmed he was on administrative leave, along with the other officers involved.
How has the community reacted?
open image in galleryHundreds of people took to the streets Wednesday evening to protest the killing and to hold a candlelight vigil in memory of the victim.
Some stayed overnight. “I don’t plan to leave anytime soon because it’s important to hold this space,” said Ben Weger, a pastor of Stoughton United Methodist Church about 20 miles away.
Sabrina Thompson, of Madison, was crying at the memorial site. “It’s really unbearable,” she said through tears. “You can’t describe it.”
open image in galleryHong, a Democratic primary candidates in Wisconsin’s governor’s race, also attended the vigil and spoke to demonstrators through a megaphone.
“This state sanctioned violence was an execution,” she told a crowd.
Incumbent Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called for “transparency and accountability” on X, expressing his sympathies for the victim’s family and saying that any protest should be conducted “peacefully and respectfully.”
“Each incident reopens deep wounds, raises difficult questions, and reminds us of the urgent work that remains to build trust, transparency, and accountability in our systems,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is also running for governor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report