Teen charged with killing 2 at Blake protest has extradition hearing stalled
The fatal shootings occurred Tuesday evening during the third night of civil unrest following the death of Jacob Blake.
The teen charged with killing two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin earlier this week will remain jailed in Illinois after a judge postponed a hearing on his extradition to Wisconsin.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, 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.
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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.
During the protest on Tuesday, Rittenhouse spoke to a reporter from the Daily Caller news site.
“People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business,” he said. “And part of my job is to also help people. If there is somebody hurt, I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle.”
The two men he allegedly 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.
The night of the shootings, Rittenhouse is seen on video running across a parking lot with a rifle, with Rosenbaum following him. Moments later shots ring out, and Rosenbaum falls to the ground.
“I just killed somebody,” Rittenhouse says into his cell phone, according to the criminal complaint.
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His attorney Lin Wood said Rittenhouse was simply acting in self-defense.
“Kyle is an innocent boy who justifiably exercised his fundamental right of self-defense. In doing so, he likely saved his own life and possibly the lives of others,” said Wood.
“From my standpoint, it’s important that the message be clear to other Americans who are attacked that there will be legal resources available in the event false charges are brought against them,” he said. “Americans should never be deterred from exercising their right of self-defense.”
In videos and posts on social media, Rittenhouse reportedly praises cops, and is seen assembling and disassembling a rifle and a shotgun.
“Bruh, I’m just tryna be famous,” he says on his TikTok bio page, according to reports.
The Illinois judge postponed Rittenhouse’s extradition hearing to Sept. 25.
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