A protester disrupted a press conference at Madison Police Department headquarters in Wisconsin on Thursday, seizing the microphone from Police Chief John Patterson and taking control of the podium during remarks about the fatal police shooting of 38-year-old Corey Ruiz.

Carlos Stanton, identified himself as a representative of All Power to All People, an organization he referred to as APTAP, commandeered the lectern one day after a Madison officer fatally shot Ruiz during a struggle in the city's Marquette neighborhood. According to WPR, city officials confirmed Ruiz's name at the press conference.

NBC News reported that Ruiz had pulled a fixed-blade knife during the arrest attempt, injuring the officer, who then opened fire. Authorities confirmed that none of the officers involved were equipped with body cameras — a long-standing gap in a department that has debated body-worn camera mandates for years, with the city council approving a pilot program as recently as 2023.

Patterson had been mid-speech when the disruption occurred. He was acknowledging that Wednesday's shooting took place near the same corner where two other men — 19-year-old Tony Robinson in 2015 and Paul Heenan in 2012 — were killed by Madison police officers. Both prior cases drew sustained community protests, and in each, prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the officers involved.

"Trust in this department is not something any of us can assume," Patterson told those assembled. "[It] is by far our greatest commodity. It must be earned continuously and I think it can be lost in a single afternoon."

Stanton interrupted the chief before he could conclude his remarks.

"You're gonna say the same thing you all say every time a Black body gets shot down in this city," Stanton said. "You've given us this speech — you'll deliver justice … We don't wanna hear that today."

"I'll step aside," the chief responded.

"That's right. Give me this microphone then," Stanton replied, stepping up to the lectern.

As Stanton addressed the room, another protester stood beside him holding a sign that read: "Corrupt cops deserve to die too!!! F— you, kill Peterson (sic)." Patterson stood in silence to the side, hands clasped behind his back.

"What you are doing right now in this city is continuing the disgusting nature of colonialism, the disgusting nature of imperialism," Stanton declared.

He subsequently invited questions — directed at the audience rather than members of the press.

"You got some questions y'all wanna ask? Ask us some questions. We're taking questions," Stanton said.

When an audience member called for Patterson to be allowed to finish, Stanton responded: "So what you're doing is you're coddling up to imperialism, brother."

Stanton also suggested that Ruiz "appeared to be homeless," a characterization consistent with officials' account of the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

A Fox News anchor, watching the events unfold live on air, described it as a press conference that "took a bizarre turn."