Madison police said an officer shot and killed a man July 23, 2026, after officers responded to reports of someone checking parked vehicles in a neighborhood less than two miles from the state Capitol.
Police have not identified the man, saying only that he was in his 30s, and Madison Police Chief John Patterson said, "I want to take a moment to honestly and sincerely offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family for this loss."
Patterson said the suspect fled on a bike through nearby backyards, either fell off or was taken off his bike, and during a struggle pulled out a knife and injured an officer; an officer fired and the man later died at a hospital. Patterson said, "This was not a small, folding knife. It's a large, fixed-blade knife." An officer deployed a taser but it was unsuccessful, Patterson said.
Cellphone video of the shooting circulated online and three gunshots can be heard on one clip; footage shows officers wrestling with the man, a female officer shouting, "Taser! Taser!", and an officer firing three shots at close range, then re-holstering, according to video descriptions.
A crowd formed near the scene with people chanting, "Arrest the cops!" and advocates said the man killed was Black. Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based Black community advocacy group Urban Triage, said, "Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name." Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong was among protesters who gathered, police said.
All four officers involved have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation will investigate because it involves police officers.
A 2015 fatal shooting on the same street of Tony Robinson, who was biracial, prompted large protests; the district attorney did not file charges and Robinson's family accepted a $3.35 million settlement from the city, records show.
Gov. Tony Evers said he was "briefed on the officer-involved shooting that occurred in Madison today" and continues "to receive updates as more information is released," and added, "There must be transparency and accountability in any investigation moving forward." Madison City Council President Sabrina Madison called the videos "both disturbing and painful" and said she expects "a full, comprehensive, and transparent independent investigation into today’s shooting of a community member."
Protesters took over a concert stage following the shooting.
Within hours of the deadly shooting, a vigil was held for the man.