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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Authorities have identified the Madison police officer who shot and killed Corey Ruiz, a 38-year-old Black man, in July.
Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, a white officer with nearly 11 years’ experience in law enforcement, fired the shots that killed Ruiz—who was armed with a knife—on July 22, the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement.
The shooting sparked days of protests and calls for transparency and accountability, as well as for Madison to address racial justice issues. Bystanders captured video of the shooting, but there is no body camera footage available since Madison police officers do not wear them.
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Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Ruiz’s family, called the shooting an "execution" and called for an independent investigation and criminal charges to be filed against the officer who fired the shots.
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Baitinger-Peterson has never previously been involved in a deadly force incident, Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association (WPPA), told Newsweek in a statement.
"That record is important because Officer Baitinger-Peterson should not be defined solely by a few seconds from the most dangerous encounter of his career," Palmer said. "He deserves to have his actions evaluated fairly, on the basis of all the evidence, rather than through speculation fueled by an incomplete public account."
Newsweek has contacted Crump and the Ruiz family for comment via email sent outside regular business hours.
Baitinger-Peterson was one of four officers who surrounded Ruiz, who was on a bike, in response to calls about someone who was allegedly checking out parked cars and an alleged burglary attempt, the statement said.
During an altercation, Ruiz "brandished a knife and injured" Baitinger-Peterson, the statement added.
Two officers had attempted to use a Taser on Ruiz but weren’t successful, the statement said.
"Officer Baitinger-Peterson discharged his firearm, striking Mr. Ruiz," it said.
He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Baitinger-Peterson and another officer sustained injuries in the confrontation, the statement said.
Law enforcement have not provided details of the extent of those injuries, but the state Justice Department said both were treated at a local hospital and have since been discharged. Police released an image of a fixed-blade knife that was recovered at the scene.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson said in a statement that he will continue daily check-ins with the state Justice Department's Division of Criminal Investigation "and will pass along any information I am able to share with our community."
He added: "The past weeks have been incredibly challenging for our community. We want more than ever to engage with and listen to our community more, but we realize that time and intentional planning are needed. We are committed to creating spaces and opportunities for conversations with our community in the future and look forward to those days ahead."
Baitinger-Peterson’s Law Enforcement Career
Baitinger-Peterson was hired by the Madison Police Department in 2015, according to Patterson.
He was a patrol officer from then until 2022, before spending a year as a neighborhood police officer for the Darbo-Worthington neighborhood.
From 2023 until February this year, he was a member of the department’s Gang and Neighborhood Crime Abatement Team, Patterson said. In February, he moved to the Central District Community Police Team.
Baitinger-Peterson is a certified instructor and "teaches several topics internally," Patterson said.
The officers involved in the fatal altercation are receiving legal representation through the WPPA, the state’s largest police union.
"Officer Baitinger-Peterson has devoted more than a decade to serving the Madison community. His career has included neighborhood and community-policing assignments, service on a team focused on gang and neighborhood crime, and work as a certified instructor entrusted with training other officers," Palmer of the WPPA said.
Palmer said Baitinger-Peterson and his family have faced threats in recent weeks.
"Appropriate precautions are being taken to protect their safety, along with the safety of the other officers involved in this incident," he said. "We would ask the public and the media to recognize the very real safety consequences that can follow the identification of an officer in a highly publicized case."
Baitinger-Peterson and the other officers involved have "voluntarily cooperated with that investigation from the outset," Palmer added.
"We continue to urge everyone to reserve judgment until the independent investigation is complete and all of the evidence can be fairly considered."
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick, Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.
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