A police officer fatally shot a man who allegedly pulled out a knife during a struggle as officers were looking into a report of someone “checking vehicle doors” Wednesday afternoon in Madison, Wisconsin, police said.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Police responded to the Marquette neighborhood about 1 p.m.after a report of someone checking parked cars, Madison Police Chief John Patterson said at a news conference.
That person fled on a bicycle, but officers re-encountered him around 1:35 p.m., the chief said.The man “either fell off or was taken off of the bicycle by officers,” and there was a struggle with police in the intersection, Patterson said.“During the struggle, the man, we’re told, pulled out a knife or produced a knife, a fixed-blade knife, and an officer was injured by this while attempting to arrest him,” Patterson said.The police department included a photo showing a knife on the ground in a news release about the deadly encounter.
Madison Police Chief John Patterson speaks to the media after the fatal police shooting on Wednesday.Laura Schulte/ / Milwaukee Journal / USA TODAY / ReutersPatterson said that a stun gun was used during the struggle, but it was not effective, and that the officer who was injured by the knife was the officer who fired his gun.Videos of the shooting were captured by bystanders and were circulated online.One of them, verified by NBC News, appears to show officers holding onto the man as someone yells, “Let go!” Multiple shouts of “He’s got a knife!” can be heard.The video also shows what appears to be an officer yelling “Taser!” as the man stands while being held by police.
About three seconds later, while the man is on the ground, a male officer standing over him appears to fire three rounds and the man stops moving.People gather at the scene of the police shooting on Madison's Williamson Street on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.Lau...