Wisconsin governor calls for transparency after Madison officer fatally shoots man with knife

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The police shooting death of a man who injured an officer with a knife while resisting arrest has roiled the city of Madison, Wisconsin, with Gov. Tony Evers calling for “transparency and accountability” in any investigation and community members gathering Thursday at a growing memorial for the man.

Protesters marched Wednesday after the shooting and held a candlelight vigil for the man who died. Some even stayed at the growing memorial of candles, flowers and signs overnight, like Ben Weger.

“I don't plan to leave anytime soon because it's important to hold this space,” said Weger, pastor of Stoughton United Methodist Church about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away.

Sabrina Thompson, of Madison, was crying at the memorial site. “It’s really unbearable,” she said. “You can’t describe it.”

Evers posted online saying, “We will continue to keep the loved ones and family of the individual who was killed in our hearts and prayers.”

“His life mattered,” the governor said.

Cellphone video of the confrontation, where three gunshots could be heard, circulated on social media.

Madison Police Chief John Patterson stressed at a news conference that the online footage was just one perspective of what happened.

“I want to take a moment to honestly and sincerely offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family for this loss,” Patterson said. The man killed was in his 30s, Patterson said, but police did not release his name.

Patterson said police were responding to calls that someone was attempting to enter parked vehicles in the neighborhood. The suspect fled on a bike in an attempt to get away before officers contacted him in the street.

The suspect either fell off his bike or was taken off his bike by officers, Patterson said. During the struggle, the suspect pulled out a knife and injured an officer. An officer deployed a taser but it was unsuccessful. The same officer who was injured by the knife fired his weapon and the man who was shot died later at the hospital. The chief described the officer who fired his weapon as a veteran officer, but did not reveal any other details.

Another officer was injured, but it is not clear how, Patterson said. Two other officers who were involved were uninjured.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation will investigate the shooting, and the four officers will be placed on administrative leave.

“There are questions that must be answered,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway posted online. “It’s understandable that people want answers now.”

The shooting happened on a city street in a popular neighborhood lined with restaurants, bars, shops and residential homes less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the state Capitol. Footage shows numerous cars stopped in the intersection with people watching as it unfolded.

A white police officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, who was biracial, on the same street in 2015. Large protests followed, but the district attorney did not file charges against police, determining the officer was justified.

The race of the officer who fired his gun on Wednesday and that of the man killed were not released by police.

But Black advocacy groups in Madison quickly spoke out against the crime and said they believed the man was Black.

“Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” said Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based Black community advocacy group Urban Triage. “That is the cruelty of state violence.”

The shooting quickly infused itself into the Democratic race for governor, with one candidate addressing mourners at the site of the vigil Wednesday night and others calling for swift investigations.

“I am horrified and devastated,” posted Francesca Hong, who showed up at the scene just a few blocks from her campaign office.

Another candidate, County Executive David Crowley, said while details of what happened are still needed, “these reports are painfully reminiscent of the tragedies we have witnessed in Kenosha, Minneapolis, and far too many communities across our country.”

A crowd had formed near where the shooting occurred on Wednesday with people chanting, “Arrest the cops!” They placed flowers and candles where the man was shot.

Protesters also marched to the state Capitol and took the stage at a summer concert series, demanding the name of the officer and that he be held accountable. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra announced on social media the show was canceled.

Editors: This story has been updated to correct a surname: it's Sabrina Thompson, not Thompsen.

Attendees light candles at a candlelight vigil where a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Attendees gesture during a candlelight vigil where a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong speaks alongside protesters near where a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Attendees gather at a candlelight vigil where a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Protesters march after a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged Thursday amid uncertainty about how volatile energy prices will affect inflation.

The central bank for the 21 countries that use the euro currency left its benchmark rate unchanged at 2.25% following a quarter-point hike at its previous meeting June 11. That increase was aimed at dampening the impact on consumer prices from higher oil prices due to the US-Iran war and subsequent interruption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts say the bank may simply be taking a pause to gather more information amid swings in oil prices, which fell after announcement of a ceasefire but then rose again when the ceasefire agreement collapsed and fighting resumed. Economists are pointing toward the bank's Sept. 10 meeting as a possibility for another rate increase.

“Uncertainty remains high and the full inflationary impact of the energy shock has yet to play out," ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a post-decision news conference. "We are therefore closely monitoring the intensity and duration of the shock, as well as its indirect and second round effects...the longer energy prices stay high, the more likely they are to drive up broader inflation.”

Lagarde said the bank is making decisions meeting by meeting based on incoming data and has not committed to any particular path for rates.

Lagarde also faced a question about whether she would commit to serving out her full, eight-year term which ends in October 2027.

Asked for a “yes or no” response, she said: “You know, I hate to be boxed in in any particular circumstances."

She added that “you are not going to see the back of me before 2027” and that “when there clouds on the horizon, the captain stays on the ship, and this captain is staying on this ship as long as there are clouds on the horizon.”

Rate hikes combat inflation by raising the cost of credit for buying things, from new houses to new factories. That cools demand for goods and eases pressure on prices. Inflation in the eurozone ran at an annual 2.8% in June, down from 3.2% in May.

International benchmark Brent crude rose to $100 Thursday, the first time in two months, after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, potentially widening the conflict in and around Iran.

Brent spiked 7% after Iranian-backed Houthis launched the attacks near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, raising doubts about Saudi Arabia’s ability to ship oil through the Red Sea instead of the Strait of Hormuz.

Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, July 12, 2026. (Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP)

Houthi supporters shout slogans as they demonstrate against airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, July 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)