Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested Wednesday for his alleged role the shooting of three protesters on Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Two of the victims have died. Rittenhouse is charged with first-degree intentional homicide.
Rittenhouse is currently jailed in nearby Lake county, The Guardian reports.
Insider reports that Rittenhouse, from Antioch, Illinois, was armed with an AR-15. He crossed state lines to help protect Kenosha businesses as unrest ensued following the police shooting of Jacob Blake days earlier.
The shooting
Koerri Elijah, a resident of Kenosha and present on the scene, narrates to Insider that protesters from Wisconsin and other surrounding states have marched the streets for three nights. They are enraged by the shooting of Jacob Blake and the death of Black people in the police's hands.
Elijah said the organized protests ended after the 8 p.m. curfew. The police then pushed crowds from the police station and courthouse. Soon after, there was unorganized chaos on the streets. Looters burned numerous businesses, and some people smashed several cars and city vehicles.
Meanwhile, some armed civilians took the initiative to protect the town's businesses. Elijah noted that despite protesters and members of the militia gathering and arguing in the area around midnight, there were no signs of violence.
A young man, later identified as Rittenhouse, was in the area. Here did not seem to be a part of any organized group, no,r did he seem to be with anyone. Still, Elijah recalled that this man seemed more erratic and "on edge" than the others.
Elijah was quoted as describing Rittenhouse to be "armed" but "didn't seem like he was a threat, but I thought maybe I should keep an eye on him."
Elijah then said that after Rittenhouse ran past him, he heard shots fired.
The shootings were recorded in videos and posted on social media. Two of the victims have died, and another remains hospitalized.
Rittenhouse considers himself a militia member.
Meanwhile, The Guardian reports that Rittenhouse seems to consider himself as part of the militia. In a Facebook account under Rittenhouse's name is said to have contained photos of him posing with an apparent assault-style rifle. The images included the pro-police phrase "blue lives matter." The account, however, is no longer accessible.
The Guardian also reports that in December 2018, Rittenhouse created a fundraiser--"Humanizing the Badge." The organization is said to seek the forging of a "stronger relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve." In Rittenhouse's post about this organization, he was calling for contributions to the organization, which he notes as important to him, to celebrate his birthday.
The Guardian took note of other social media posts that show a man who appears to be Rittenhouse either wearing law enforcement-style uniforms or firing guns. A video in a Twitter post by a Daily Caller journalist says, "I interviewed the alleged shooter before the violence started."
I interviewed the alleged shooter before the violence started.
Full video coming soon: pic.twitter.com/G3dVOJozN7 — RichieMcG (@RichieMcGinniss) August 26, 2020
In the video, a male, who appears to be Rittenhouse, is standing with his gun. He is explaining why he is present at protests. He says, "So people are getting injured and our job is to protect this business." He explains that part of his role is to help injured people. He further says that he holds a rifle because he is "running into harm's way," and it is his way to "to protect myself obviously."
He claims to have with him a "med kit," as well.
There is no statement from Rittenhouse's family as of writing.
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