Kyle Rittenhouse — the teen charged with first-degree homicide after shooting 3 Kenosha protesters with an AR-15 — was obsessed with Blue Lives Matter and appeared ‘on edge’ before shots rang out
Foto: Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) A teenager armed with an AK-47 shot three protesters, killing two.
- An Illinois teenager armed with an AR-15 style rifle was caught on video shooting three protesters, two of whom have died.
- The police identified the shooter as Kyle Rittenhouse. He was spotted earlier in the night standing guard with militia members outside local businesses.
- On social media Rittenhouse idolized the police, guns, and the Blue Lives Matter movement.
- On Wednesday he was arrested at his home in Antioch, Illinois.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested Wednesday in connection with shooting three protesters – two of whom have died – in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night, The New York Times and USA Today reported.
The teenager, who was armed with an AR-15, is from Antioch, Illinois, and crossed state lines to stand guard outside businesses during unrest stemming from the police shooting of Jacob Blake days earlier.
He was taken into custody in and will be charged with first-degree intentional homicide, USA Today’s Nick Penzenstadler tweeted.
Protesters from Wisconsin and surrounding states took to the streets over the past three nights, enraged over the shooting of Jacob Blake and Black people dying at the hands of the police.
As organized protests ended after the 8 p.m. curfew, the police pushed crowds from the police station and courthouse, Koerri Elijah, a Kenosha resident who was on scene, told Insider.
After that, unorganized chaos filled the streets. Looters burned numerous businesses and countless cars and city vehicles were smashed.
Small groups of armed civilians took it upon themselves to defend the town’s businesses, with some stationed outside a gas station.
About midnight, protesters and some of the militia were gathered in the area, with some arguing, but it wasn’t violent, Elijah, who was filming the protests, told Insider.
A young man – who has been since identified as Rittenhouse – was in the area, but didn’t seem to be a part of any organized group. He appeared more erratic and “on edge” than the others, Elijah said.
“I noticed him the entire time. He didn’t seem like he was there with anyone,” he said. “He was armed. He didn’t seem like he was a threat, but I thought maybe I should keep an eye on him.”
Elijah said that at some point Rittenhouse ran past him, and not long after that he heard shots fired.
The shootings were captured in several videos posted on social media. Two of the victims – one of whom was shot in the head – have since died. Another was hospitalized.
In one video, Rittenhouse is seen running through a crowd of people in a street. One person appears to yell “That guy shot someone.” He trips and falls, and, as several people move close to him, he’s seen opening fire.
Directly following the second shooting, a group of police vehicles advances on the crowd. Rittenhouse walks toward them and can be seen alternately putting his hands up and touching his gun. As he approaches, the vehicles drive away and Rittenhouse gives them a slight wave.
Footage of the incident was posted on Twitter by Brendan Gutenschwager, a videographer who regularly films protests.
In another video recorded, a teen who appears to be Rittenhouse is seen walking away from an injured protester on the ground, talking on a cellphone.
As he jogs away, the audio includes screaming and a voice says “I just killed someone.”
Rittenhouse idolized the police
Hours before the police named Rittenhouse as a suspect, web sleuths had already gone to work tracking him down online and shared details about his social-media presence.
On Facebook, Rittenhouse, who lives about 4o minutes from Kenosha, posed with his long gun in American-flag slippers. Several of his photos on Facebook were set on the background of Blue Lives Matter flags and insignia.
One photo from 2017 shows him dressed as a safety cadet, a program for youths interested in law enforcement, at Target. The photo has since been removed.
Rittenhouse was also identified in a local newsletter as a “fire protection cadet” in the same region of Illinois.
His Instagram also has a Blue Lives Matter backdrop, but was set to private on Wednesday.
Attempts to reach Rittenhouse’s family were unsuccessful Wednesday.
This is a developing story.
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