Public records reveal a 38-year-old man fatally shot by Madison Police last week had been charged with assaulting or threatening law enforcement officers nine separate times across two decades, resulting in eight convictions involving multiple police departments throughout Dane County.

Two Decades of Confrontations With Law Enforcement

Corey Ruiz accumulated more than two dozen criminal complaints dating back nearly 20 years, according to court documents reviewed following his fatal encounter with Madison Police. The records show repeated physical struggles with officers from the City of Madison, Town of Madison, Sun Prairie, Fitchburg, and State Capitol police departments. Five of the nine cases charging him with resisting, obstructing, threatening, or injuring officers specifically involved Madison Police, the same department involved in the shooting now under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.

In a 2021 case involving four Madison Police officers, prosecutors said Ruiz made threatening statements toward law enforcement during his arrest. He ultimately pleaded guilty to making threats in that incident. Madison Police do not currently utilize body-worn cameras, preventing independent verification of the specific statements attributed to Ruiz in court documents.

Mental Health Questions Raised During Legal Proceedings

Attorney Ben Crump, representing the Ruiz family, indicated last week that mental health challenges may have been a factor. Court records from a 2022 battery case at Dane County Jail show Ruiz’s defense attorney raised competency concerns, stating his client could not recall why he was incarcerated and provided only one-word responses during consultations. However, no public record indicates he was ever formally declared incompetent, and he was convicted in that case.

During a 2021 sentencing hearing, Ruiz told the judge he struggled with mental capacity issues that drove him to use drugs to suppress difficult memories from his past. No specific mental health diagnosis or treatment program appears in available court records.

Independent Investigation Underway

The fatal shooting will undergo independent review by Madison’s civilian oversight board, city leaders announced Monday. The state Division of Criminal Investigation continues examining evidence from the incident. The case highlights ongoing debates about law enforcement encounters with individuals who have documented mental health struggles and extensive criminal histories involving violent confrontations with police.