Madison police officer fatally shoots man on Near East Side; state investigators take over
A Madison police officer shot and killed a man during a July 22 struggle in which the man cut an officer with a knife, the department says. The man, in his 30s, has not been publicly identified; the Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating, and the officers wore no body cameras.
By David Weaver
Publisher & Editor
Published July 22, 2026, 9:30 PM ET
A Madison police officer shot and killed a man during an attempted arrest on the city's Near East Side on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the Madison Police Department says — an encounter that drew hundreds of protesters downtown by nightfall and that will now be investigated by an outside state agency.
Because there is no body-camera video — Madison officers do not wear them — much of what the public knows comes from a single on-record source: a press conference by Police Chief John Patterson, alongside the department's incident reports. Here is what officials have said, and what they say they do not yet know.
What police say happened
According to Chief Patterson, officers were dispatched just after 1 p.m. on a report of a person entering parked vehicles. Police say the man fled on a bicycle and that officers re-contacted him minutes later at the intersection of Williamson and South Baldwin streets.
During the struggle that followed, police say, the man produced a fixed-blade knife and injured a male officer. Officers deployed a Taser, which was unsuccessful, the department says, and the officer who had been injured then fired his weapon. Police say it is still being determined whether the man fell or was pulled off the bicycle during the encounter.
The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died. Police described him only as being in his 30s. His identity has not been released.
The officers, and who is investigating
Chief Patterson said four officers were involved in or witnessed the encounter and that only one fired — a description he gave of a veteran officer. Two officers were injured: one cut by the knife, and a second in a way the department says is not yet determined and does not believe was caused by the knife. Both were treated at a hospital and released.
All four officers were placed on administrative leave, which is standard after a shooting. As Wisconsin law requires for officer-involved deaths, the investigation is being led not by Madison police but by the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation.
What's Confirmed, and What Isn't
Madison police shooting: what officials have confirmed, and what's unknown
A claim-by-claim map of the July 22 Madison police shooting — each point tagged confirmed or unknown, tied to statements from the Madison Police Department and the Wisconsin DOJ, and built only on the official record.
A Madison Police Department officer shot and killed a man during an attempted arrest on the city's Near East Side, at Williamson and South Baldwin streets, on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
ConfirmedConfirmed by MPD Chief John Patterson in an on-record press conference and by official MPD incident reports.
Officers were dispatched just after 1 p.m. on a report of a person checking or entering parked vehicles; the man fled on a bicycle, and officers re-contacted him minutes later at Williamson and South Baldwin.
ConfirmedTimeline as described by Chief Patterson; the man was located at roughly 1:30 to 1:35 p.m.
During a struggle, the man produced a fixed-blade knife and injured a male officer; a Taser was deployed and was unsuccessful, and the officer who had been injured then fired his weapon.
ConfirmedSequence as stated by MPD; police say whether the man fell or was pulled off the bicycle is still being determined.
The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died. Police said he was in his 30s.
ConfirmedMPD has not released his name; his identity is pending the Dane County Medical Examiner.
Four officers were involved in or witnessed the encounter and only one fired; two officers were injured — one by the knife and a second in a way police say is not yet determined and do not believe was caused by the knife. Both were treated and released.
ConfirmedChief Patterson described the officer who fired as a veteran of the department; all four were placed on administrative leave, which is standard.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, is leading the investigation, as state law requires for officer-involved deaths.
ConfirmedMPD is not investigating its own shooting; the outside state agency will review the case.
Madison police officers do not wear body cameras. Chief Patterson cautioned that footage circulating online is one perspective and not a full overview, and said other video is being reviewed.
ConfirmedThe absence of body-camera video is central to the questions surrounding the account.
The man's identity and race have not been released or stated by officials.
UnknownPolice said only that he was in his 30s. A name and age circulating on social media are unconfirmed by any official source and conflict with the police account, and are not reported here.
How the second officer was injured, whether the man fell or was pulled off the bicycle, the number of shots fired, the cause of death, and the full circumstances remain officially unresolved.
UnknownThe medical examiner's exam is pending, and the Wisconsin DOJ investigation is ongoing; these questions could be answered as that review concludes.
How this is calculated
Each claim is tagged by what the official record supports: 'confirmed' means the Madison Police Department, Chief John Patterson, or the Wisconsin DOJ have stated it on the record, corroborated by reputable outlets; 'unknown' means officials have said it is unresolved or have not released it. This map is built on the police chief's press conference and MPD's incident reports — not on protester or social-media claims. The man who was killed is not named because officials have not released his identity.
Data as of July 22, 2026 · verified July 22, 2026 · v1
Assumptions, limitations & sources
Assumptions
- · Statuses reflect the official public record as of the data date and will change as the state investigation and the medical examiner's exam conclude.
Limitations
- · This is a fast-developing case; a point marked unknown today may be officially resolved later.
- · Madison police officers do not wear body cameras, so there is no body-camera record of the encounter; the chief has said other video is being reviewed.
- · The man's identity and race have not been released or stated by officials; a name circulating on social media is unconfirmed and is not reported here.
- · The investigation is led by an outside agency, the Wisconsin DOJ, and its findings are pending.
Sources
- Wisconsin Public Radio — Man shot, killed by Madison police on the city's east side — Wisconsin Public Radio, checked July 22, 2026
- NBC News — Wisconsin officer kills man armed with knife, police say, as shooting sparks protests — NBC News, checked July 22, 2026
- CBS News — Man shot and killed by police in Madison, Wisconsin, sparking protests — CBS News, checked July 22, 2026
- ABC News (AP) — Wisconsin officer fatally shoots man during struggle — The Associated Press, checked July 22, 2026
- WKOW (ABC 27) — Man dies after Madison police shooting at Baldwin and Williamson streets — WKOW, checked July 22, 2026
- WMTV (NBC15) — Man dies after being shot by a Madison police officer on Williamson Street — WMTV NBC15, checked July 22, 2026
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What is not known — and the video question
The absence of body cameras sits at the center of the public's questions. Patterson cautioned that footage circulating online is "one perspective" and not a full overview, and said other video is being reviewed. He has previously pushed to fund body cameras in the city's budget.
Several core facts remain officially unresolved. The department has not released the man's identity or stated his race; a name and age circulating on social media are unconfirmed by any official source and conflict with the police account, and are not reported here. Also unresolved: how the second officer was injured, whether the man fell or was pulled from the bicycle, the number of shots fired, and the cause of death, which is pending the medical examiner. The fact map above lays out each point and its source, separating what officials have confirmed from what is still open.
The response
By Wednesday evening, hundreds of people gathered near the scene and marched toward the State Capitol, according to local reporting, and organizers cancelled a downtown "Concerts on the Square" event. Officials acknowledged the neighborhood's history: it is near where Madison police killed Tony Robinson in 2015.
As the state's investigation and the medical examiner's exam proceed, more of the official record is expected to be released. This story reports only what officials and the record have established; it will be updated as they say more.
Sources
- Man shot, killed by Madison police on the city's east side — Wisconsin Public Radio
- Wisconsin officer kills man armed with knife, police say, as shooting sparks protests — NBC News
- Man shot and killed by police in Madison, Wisconsin, sparking protests — CBS News
- Wisconsin officer fatally shoots man during struggle — The Associated Press
- Man dies after Madison police shooting at Baldwin and Williamson streets — WKOW