Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people on Tuesday, after demonstrations sparked by the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake.
The journalists were told by the 17-year-old it was his jobs to guard buildings in Kenosha against protestors. He has now been charged with six criminal counts over the shootings. His social media profiles show that he is a supporter of Trump, and passionate about the police and guns.
Police found a knife in Mr. Blake’s car but no other weapons. Investigators are continuing into the shooting. The shooting came on the third night of the protests after the police officer fired seven shots into Mr. Blake’s back on Sunday. His lawyers fear it will take a miracle for him to walk again.
Joseph Rosenbaum, 36 and Anthony Huber, 26, both died in the incident. Gaige Grosskreutz. also 26, was injured. Videos on social media appeared to show a man with a rifle being chased by a crowd before he fell to the ground and appeared to fire at them.
On Wednesday, Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested at his mother’s house in Antioch, Illinois. On Thursday, he was officially charged with two counts of homicide and one attempted homicide, as well as recklessly endangering safety and possession of a dangerous weapon.
There has been widespread anger about how law enforcement officials , both the local and federal, ordered to the city by US President Donald Trump, responded to the demonstrations.
Jacob Blake’s shooting has sparked fresh demonstrations, in Kenosha and in other cities across the US.
A number of US sports have cancelled matches in protest against the incident.
Demonstrations were more muted on Wednesday night after Wisconsin’s attorney general named the officer who fired on Mr. Blake as Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year old veteran of Kenosha’s police department.
On Thursday, Kenosha country Sheriff David Beth said “Last night was peaceful. Hopefully, we are over the hump of what we have to face.”
The American Civil Liberties Union, on Thursday called for the immediate resignation of Kenosha’s police chief and country sheriff, accusing them of defending white supremacy and demonizing people who were murdered for exercising their First Amendment rights and speaking out against police violence.
