Kiel Baitinger-Peterson ID'd As Cop Who Shot Corey Ruiz

Last month, a Madison Police officer fatally shot Corey Ruiz, a Black man, while he was riding his bike. Now, nearly a month later, officials have released the identity of the police officer. 

NBC News reports that Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, a Madison police officer with 11 years of experience, was responsible for firing the shots that killed Ruiz. Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation revealed Baitinger-Peterson’s identity in a statement released on Monday. 

Baitinger-Peterson didn’t respond to NBC News’s request for comment, so Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, decided to speak out in defense of him. “I am deeply concerned for the safety and privacy of him, his family, and the other officers involved,” Palmer said. “I urge everyone to allow the investigation to proceed and to refrain from prejudging the officers or placing them and their families at further risk.”

I would love it if cops could extend that deep concern for each other to the people they allegedly are sworn to protect. We’ve seen so many videos of cops managing to use restraint against armed white men, yet all that goes out the window when a person has some melanin.

On July 22, Baitinger-Peterson and three other cops responded to a call about a person who was looking at various cars and may have attempted a robbery. The four cops approached Ruiz, who was on his bike at the time. The officers said they attempted to tase Ruiz but failed, with Baitinger-Peterson opening fire after Ruiz allegedly drew a knife. Ruiz was reportedly unhoused at the time of the shooting. 

I just feel like four cops should’ve been able to handle one man without killing him, regardless of whether he had a knife. 

From NBC News:

Baitinger-Peterson and the other three officers who interacted with Ruiz that day have been placed on paid administrative leave while the state investigates the shooting.

There is no timeline for when the state Justice Department investigation will conclude. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne will review the findings before deciding whether to file charges against Baitinger-Peterson.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Ruiz’s family, has called for the officer to be charged.

While bystanders captured the confrontation on video, there is no body camera video because Madison police officers don’t wear bodycams.

Ruiz’s shooting has spurred multiple nights of protests in Madison. This may come as a surprise, but Ruiz was not the first Black man to be shot by the police in Madison. In fact, his shooting was only blocks away from where Tony Robinson was fatally shot by a police officer in 2015. 

I’ve reported too many of these stories to believe that Baitinger-Peterson is going to face any meaningful consequences for the shooting. Dude might get fired, but will have no problem getting rehired at another police department (see here, here, and here). The family will likely file a civil suit, which will be paid out with taxpayer dollars, and hey, maybe the Madison Police Department will make its officers wear body cameras.

This isn’t what I want to happen, but this is America. The land of liberty and justice for some. 

SEE ALSO:

Black Man Killed By Madison Cop Identified As Protests Around the City Continue To Intensify

Protests Erupt In Madison, Wisconsin, After Officer Fatally Shoots Man Who Allegedly ‘Fled On A Bicycle’