MADISON – In an emotional service, the family of a man who was shot and killed by police last month remembered him for his love of life, his love of music and for the struggles he was working hard to overcome.
The family of Corey Ruiz shared stories about him at the Fountain of Life Church on Madison’s west side. The Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy while standing in front of the casket. Sharpton encouraged the community to continue to seek justice for Ruiz.
“If Corey had been a Ph.D. at your university, and come from a home of lawyers and doctors, y’all would have not done what you did,” Sharpton said. “If he had been a different race, y’all would not have done that to him. Y’all didn’t think Corey mattered. Well, I flew in to tell you he matters.”
Ruiz, 38, was killed by Madison police officer Kiel Baitinger-Peterson in a struggle on July 22 at the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin Streets. Bystander videos show a struggle between Ruiz and four officers, one of which deployed a tazer that didn’t seem to work, another who fired several shots. Police say that one of the officers was injured by a knife Ruiz produced during the struggle.
In the weeks following his death, the Madison community saw a protest encampment erected at the busy east side intersection in Ruiz’s name. There were also pushes by community members and organizations for reform within the police department and how police interact with the community.
One reform request is for Madison police officers to start wearing body cameras.
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, also called for action, to ensure what happened to Ruiz isn’t forgotten or swept under the rug. He also called for body cameras to be used in Madison.
“How in the year 2026 do we not have body cameras on police officers? It makes no sense. Madison is the state capitol. It don’t make no sense,” he said.
An investigation into his death is being conducted by the Department of Criminal Investigation, per state protocol.
His mother, Elsa Ruiz, spoke through tears, telling those in attendance how her son was a quiet baby, how he and his siblings kept her busy, and how teachers said the world needed more children like Corey.
As he got older, he struggled with mental health, she said, and those struggles devolved into drug use.
“You have no idea how much damage you’ve done to my family. He was just a piece of trash to you,” she said. “Well, he was not a piece of trash. He was not a nobody. He was my son. He was an uncle, a brother, a father.”
A letter from Ruiz’s daughter, Kah’liylah Aliomar, was included in the funeral program booklet. In it, she wrote she will spend the rest of her life missing her father and wishing he was around to one day meet his grandchildren.
“When I get older I promise to tell my kids about you and how funny you were. I’ll miss your hugs, your letters, your little lectures, and I’ll miss you,” she said. “I would never think that I would in a million years think I would hear my mom call me and the news say that you were shot and killed. Now all we have of you is pictures and your letters and that’s not enough.”
Aliomar also expressed frustration at the way her father’s life ended.
“I’m so sad and so angry that the cops killed you when you did nothing wrong,” she said.
Ruiz’s brother, Adam Ruiz, shared stories about joyriding in cars, getting their first tattoos together at a young age, and getting bowl cuts together from their mom.
“I love you, big bro. Rest in power, in paradise, in peace and in love. You’re always with me, like you said,” he said. “Watch over me and protect our family from this cold world.”
In another letter included in the booklet, one of Ruiz’s sisters shared memories of his love for music, art and his family, despite the struggles he faced in life.
“Corey deserved so much more life. He deserved the opportunity to grow older, continue chasing his dreams and spend more time with the people who loved him,” the letter said. “None of what happened was his fault.”
The program also featured dozens of photos of Ruiz, from a photo of him clinging to his mother as a child, to napping on the couch with his sibling, to selfies in construction gear. In his obituary, his family asked the community to remember that there was more to Ruiz.
“Corey’s life was far more than the circumstances surrounding his passing. He was a man with a story, a family who loved him, a creative spirit, dreams of his own, and a life that mattered,” the obituary said. “Although his time here ended far too soon, the memories he created and the love shared with those closest to him will remain.”
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Family and advocates attend funeral for man killed by Madison police
Reporting by Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
