Teen accused of killing 2 at Blake protest charged with homicide
Kyle Rittenhouse is facing first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree reckless homicide, and attempted first-degree homicide.
Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of killing two people during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been charged with multiple felonies, including homicide.
Rittenhouse, who used a semi-automatic rifle in the attack, is facing first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree reckless homicide, and attempted first-degree homicide, according to The Associated Press.
As theGrio previously reported, the killings occurred Tuesday evening during the third night of civil unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse was characterized as being a “white vigilante,” according to social media reports.
Read More: Jacob Blake’s children so traumatized after shooting they’ll need therapy, family says
Lt. Joseph Nosalik stated in a news release that the incident occurred in Kenosha in the aftermath of Blake being shot at least seven times by police on Sunday.
One victim was reportedly shot in the head and another was shot in the chest.
The two men killed were Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake. A third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was injured and is recovering after surgery, per KTLA.com.
A protester witnessed the shooting.
“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,” Devin Scott, 19, 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.”
In addition to the charges mentioned above, Rittenhouse faces a misdemeanor charge of possessing a dangerous weapon under the age of 18. He has also been cited for fleeing “the state of Wisconsin with intent to avoid prosecution for that offense.”
Rittenhouse’s attorney, Lin Wood, said he was acting in self-defense.
He is currently jailed in the Lake County Judicial System in Illinois and awaiting extradition to Wisconsin, according to the Village of Antioch Police Department.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
More About:Featured
You Might Like
