Who is Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with killing 2 Kenosha protesters?
A 17-year-old facing charges in the fatal shootings of two people during protests Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is a self-described militia member and supporter of Back the Blue, according to media reports.
The teen, identified in a complaint as Kyle Rittenhouse, is being held in jail in Antioch, Illinois, and awaiting extradition to Kenosha, where he is wanted for first-degree intentional homicide, according to the Chicago Tribune. Antioch police Cmdr. Norman Johnson said Rittenhouse was charged as an adult, the newspaper reported.
Tuesday night’s protests were sparked by Sunday’s shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man and father of three. Video shows a police officer in Kenosha firing several rounds into the back of Blake as he attempted to get into his SUV. Blake remains in a Milwaukee hospital, where his father said his son is paralyzed from the waist down.
Videos shot by bystanders capture at least two shootings involving a white male believed to be Rittenhouse, according to media reports. He is shown carrying an assault rifle and opening fire on protesters in Kenosha, a city of about 100,000.
The 17-year-old is accused of shooting three people — one died after being shot in the head and another died after a bullet entered his chest — the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
One video shows a teen saying “I just shot someone” into his phone while fleeing the scene where a person was shot in a parking lot.
The gunman was being chased as people are heard saying “He’s got a gun! He shot him!” according to the video.
A 24-year-old witness, Julio Rosas, told the Chicago Sun Times the second shooting occurred after the gunman fell while jogging down a street with a rifle. Rosas said people tried to gain control of his weapon while he was on the ground.
“At that point during the struggle, he just began to fire multiple rounds and that dispersed people near him,” Rosas said, per the Sun Times. “The rifle was being jerked around in all directions while it was being fired.”
Video shows the gunman stand up as more gunshots are heard. He runs toward police officers with his hands up and the police vehicles are seen driving past him — despite people in the crowd saying he was the shooter.
“We were all chanting ‘Black lives matter’ at the gas station and then we heard, boom, boom, and I told my friend, `‘That’s not fireworks,’” 19-year-old protester Devin Scott told the Chicago Tribune. “And then this guy with this huge gun runs by us in the middle of the street and people are yelling, ‘He shot someone! He shot someone!’ And everyone is trying to fight the guy, chasing him and then he started shooting again.”
Who is Kyle Rittenhouse?
Rittenhouse is from Antioch, Illinois, and a complaint said he fled Wisconsin after the shootings to avoid being arrested, USA Today reported.
“Our Village of Antioch is deeply saddened by all loss of life. Our hearts and prayers extend to the friends and family who lost a loved one,” Antioch Mayor Lawrence Hanson said on Facebook.
The two cities in bordering states are around 20 miles away from one another.
Rittenhouse was a lifeguard at an Illinois YMCA, according to The Associated Press.
Koerri Elijah, a Kenosha resident and witness to the shooting, told Insider he saw Rittenhouse throughout the night and said he appeared “on edge,” but added “he didn’t seem like a threat.”
Rittenhouse is a former police cadet whose social media pages show he is affiliated with the pro-police movement Back the Blue, Vice reported.One video from earlier in the night Wednesday shows Rittenhouse chatting with officers, Vice reported.
Photos posted on Facebook show Rittenhouse posed with a gun and others with a Blue Lives Matter background, according to Insider. He is also seen in photos wearing law enforcement uniforms.
During Tuesday’s protests, he did an interview with the Daily Caller, saying he was protecting a business and people.
“If someone is hurt, I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle,” he said, per the Daily Caller. “I’ve gotta protect myself obviously, but I also have my med kit.”
He considered himself a militia member, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said early Wednesday he was unsure if Rittenhouse was involved with what he calls a “militia” group he said was “like a vigilante group” that was patrolling the Kenosha streets Tuesday, according to the Journal Sentinel.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Who is Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with killing 2 Kenosha protesters?."