Madison Shooting: Police Involved Fatal Incident at Baldwin and Williamson Streets

A man in his 30s died Wednesday afternoon after being shot by a Madison police officer during a physical struggle in the Marquette neighborhood, according to Police Chief John Patterson. The incident, which unfolded near the intersection of Baldwin and Williamson Streets, has drawn a crowd of community members to the scene and prompted a standard administrative leave for the officer who fired his weapon.

Officers were dispatched before 1 p.m. for a report of a person allegedly stealing bicycles and checking parked vehicles, Patterson said during a news conference on July 22, 2026. When officers located the man and attempted to contact him, he fled on a bicycle and traveled through backyards in an attempt to get away.

Officers reconnected with the man around 1:30 p.m. at Baldwin and Williamson Streets. According to Patterson, the man either fell off or was removed from his bicycle by officers — a detail still under investigation. A physical struggle ensued in the middle of the street.

During the struggle, Patterson said the man allegedly pulled out a large fixed-blade knife and injured an officer. A Taser was deployed but was unsuccessful. The officer who was injured by the knife then fired his gun at the man, Patterson confirmed. A second officer was also injured, though the cause is not yet clear and is not believed to be from the knife.

Four Madison Police Department officers were involved in the incident, and only one officer fired his weapon. Officers performed lifesaving measures on the man before he was taken to a hospital, where he died. The man's family has been notified, but he has not been named.

“I want to take a moment to honestly and sincerely offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family for this loss,” Patterson said.

The officer who fired his weapon is on administrative leave per standard protocol. The officer's name has not been released.

A video submitted by a WMTV viewer contains three gunshots that can be heard, along with sounds of people reacting after the shooting. The footage is graphic and may be difficult to hear.

Community members gathered near the scene on the city's near east side following the shooting. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not released additional details about the man's identity or the specific circumstances that led to the struggle.

This incident is not connected to any unrelated mass shooting or drive-by shooting in Madison County. Reports of other violent incidents in the region, such as a mass shooting at a Madison County park or a drive-by shooting that struck a home with a mother and child inside, involve different locations and are not related to this event.

As the investigation continues, the Madison Police Department has not provided a timeline for further updates. The department's standard protocol for officer-involved shootings includes a review by internal affairs and the Dane County District Attorney's Office.