On Wednesday afternoon on Madison’s near east side, a police encounter at a busy intersection ended in gunfire after an officer was injured with a knife during a struggle. The confrontation, near shops and homes and not far from the State Capitol, was captured on cellphone video that quickly spread online. Police said the man, described as being in his 30s, was taken to a hospital and later died. Because the case involves an officer involved death, the Wisconsin Department of Justice will conduct an independent review.
Police account and timeline
Madison police say the incident began with reports of someone checking parked cars in the Marquette neighborhood. Officers say the person fled on a bicycle, cutting through backyards before they caught up with him. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, officers encountered the man at Williamson Street and South Baldwin Street, where a struggle broke out and police say he produced a large fixed blade knife. Chief John Patterson told reporters that the officer who was injured by the knife then fired his weapon. Four officers were involved in the encounter, and all have been placed on administrative leave while investigators review the scene.
Video and eyewitness accounts
Cellphone footage shared by neighbors shows a bicyclist riding into the intersection, then either falling or being removed from the bike, with multiple officers on top of the person before gunfire is heard. That sequence appears in raw video obtained by NBC26. Witnesses told reporters they heard three rapid shots and said a Taser had been deployed shortly before the shooting. People at the scene who recorded the incident offered differing views of whether the knife was openly visible when the shots were fired.
Chief's remarks and investigation
At a news conference, Madison Police Chief John Patterson asked the public to remain patient while investigators collect evidence and offered what he called his “heartfelt sympathies to his family,” AP News reported. Police have not publicly released the victim’s name. Patterson said it remains unclear whether the bicyclist fell or was removed from the bicycle before the struggle began. The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the probe because state law requires an outside agency to investigate officer involved deaths, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
Community reaction
Hundreds of people gathered near the scene and later marched to the state Capitol, and an evening Concerts on the Square performance was canceled amid protests, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. Local organizers and residents expressed anger and sorrow, drawing comparisons to the 2015 shooting of Tony Robinson that occurred in the same neighborhood. Speakers at the demonstration demanded transparency and the immediate release of body camera or surveillance footage as investigators complete their work.
What happens next
Under Wisconsin Stat. § 175.47, an independent investigative team must handle deaths tied to officer actions, and the Division of Criminal Investigation typically compiles a report and provides it to prosecutors when the investigation concludes, the Wisconsin Department of Justice says. The DCI file in this case will be turned over to the Dane County district attorney for review, and the Madison Police Department has said it will cooperate with the state probe. Officials have not announced a timeline for when the full investigative file or any body worn footage might be released.
Nearby history
The memory of Tony Robinson's 2015 death, an unarmed 19 year old who was shot by a Madison officer, was a frequent reference among protesters and local leaders calling for accountability, AP News noted. That case and others have shaped long running community demands for changes in police oversight and transparency.
Raw footage and witness accounts are expected to factor into both the public response and investigators’ work. FOX6 Milwaukee has posted a video clip from the scene as the investigation began. Anyone with information or video is asked to contact investigators, and officials have said they will provide updates when they are available.
