Wisconsin prosecutors have charged Lake County teenager Kyle Rittenhouse with murder and a host of other offenses in a court filing accusing him of fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during violent demonstrations over Sunday’s police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.
The charges Kenosha County prosecutors filed Thursday evening accuse the 17-year-old from Antioch of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
An intentional homicide charge amounts to a first-degree murder charge in Illinois. The reckless homicide charge amounts to a second-degree murder charge here. If convicted of the first-degree intentional homicide charge as an adult, Rittenhouse could face a life sentence. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.
The shootings came Tuesday night as civilians armed with rifles inserted themselves into violent demonstrations that raged for three nights in the city just over the Wisconsin border. The protests, clashes with police and fires followed an officer’s shooting of Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, who according to a video appeared to have had his back turned to the cop who fired.
Rittenhouse was arrested as a fugitive Wednesday in Lake County. He is charged in Wisconsin as an adult. A judge ordered him held without bail at the Lake County juvenile detention facility. A court hearing is scheduled for Friday on whether to extradite him to Wisconsin.
Records show Rittenhouse has worked as a YMCA lifeguard. His social media postings show that he idolizes police and has participated in programs for aspiring cops.
Lake County Public Defender Joy Gossman, whose office is representing Rittenhouse in the extradition matter, declined to comment.
Numerous video clips posted online appear to show Rittenhouse at the scene Tuesday night with a rifle, including several that show shootings and their aftermaths. The videos also indicated that he approached police before the shootings despite being out past curfew and a year too young to carry a gun openly in Wisconsin.
Those videos, along with interviews by Kenosha detectives, are the backbone of the complaint against him.
Rittenhouse came to the demonstrations with a Smith & Wesson AR-15-style .223 caliber rifle with a 30-round magazine, the charges allege.
Video showed Rittenhouse running across the parking lot of an auto lot where cars had previously been burned, trailed by Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, prosecutors wrote. Behind Rosenbaum was Richard McGinniss, a videographer at the Daily Caller, a conservative website.
Video showed Rosenbaum seemingly throwing something at Rittenhouse, and investigators later determined it was a plastic bag, prosecutors wrote. Rittenhouse was not hit. Prosecutors wrote that McGinniss told police that “as the defendant was walking, Rosenbaum was trying to get closer to the defendant. When Rosenbaum advanced, the defendant did a ‘juke’ move and started running.”
Prosecutors wrote that as Rosenbaum and Rittenhouse approached a black car, a loud bang was heard and a male shouted, “F–k you!” As the men were close to one another, four loud bangs sounded and Rosenbaum fell, prosecutors said. McGinniss told police Rosenbaum had tried to grab the gun, prosecutors wrote.
Rittenhouse approached Rosenbaum on the ground, and McGinniss took off his shirt and tried to give the wounded man aid, prosecutors wrote. Rittenhouse got on his cellphone, made a call, and audio from one of the videos caught him saying, “I just killed somebody,” the complaint alleges. Investigators learned that call was to a friend, prosecutors wrote.
An autopsy showed Rosenbaum had gunshot wounds to the groin, back, hand and thigh, as well as a graze wound to the forehead, prosecutors wrote. The charge of first-degree reckless homicide stems from that shooting. He is charged with recklessly endangering McGinniss’s safety.
Prosecutors wrote that video shows that after that shooting, Rittenhouse ran north on Sheridan Road with people in pursuit, with some yelling things such as “Hey, he shot him!” and “Get that dude!” Someone knocked his hat off before he tripped and fell to the ground, prosecutors wrote.
An unidentified man jumped at Rittenhouse, and he fired at the man from the ground, apparently missing him, prosecutors alleged.
A man carrying a skateboard and later identified as Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake then approached Rittenhouse as he was still on his back, prosecutors wrote. Huber reached for the gun as the skateboard hit Rittenhouse’s shoulder before the alleged gunman fired one shot, and Huber staggered away and collapsed, prosecutors wrote.
The autopsy showed the bullet hit Huber’s heart, prosecutors alleged. Huber’s death is the source of the murder charge.
Prosecutors wrote that he then shot a third man who was approaching him, identified as Gaige Grosskreutz of West Allis. Video showed that Grosskreutz appeared to be holding a handgun, prosecutors wrote. Wisconsin court records do not indicate that Grosskreutz has been charged with any crime. Grosskreutz was hit in the arm and walked off, screaming for a medic, the complaint alleges. That is the source of the attempted murder charge.
The gun charge Rittenhouse faces is a misdemeanor.
Along with Rittenhouse’s arrest on Wednesday, Wisconsin authorities identified the officer who shot Blake seven times as Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department.
The police shooting came about 5 p.m. Sunday after Kenosha officers responded to a call from a woman who reported that her boyfriend was present but not supposed to be there, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. At the scene, officers unsuccessfully used a Taser, the state Justice Department said in a news release.
In footage shared online, Blake walks from the sidewalk around the front of an SUV to the driver-side door as officers follow him with their guns pointed. As Blake opens the door and leans into the SUV, an officer grabs his shirt from behind and appears to open fire while Blake has his back turned.
The state Justice Department wrote that a knife was recovered from the driver-side floorboard of the vehicle. The department wrote in a statement that, “Mr. Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession.” It was not clear from the statement whether officers believed the knife posed any threat to officers or anyone else.
Blake’s lawyers and family said Tuesday that he is paralyzed from the waist down and may never walk again. The family has called for peaceful protests.
Blake has been handcuffed to his hospital bed during his entire stay since he was shot by Kenosha police on Sunday, his uncle Justin Blake said to the Pioneer Press. The story was first reported in the Sun-Times.
“Get those damn handcuffs off my nephew,” Justin Blake said. “Where is a paralyzed person going to go? Are you serious?”
Asked for confirmation, Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. David Wright replied:
“I can tell you that Jacob Blake is in custody on felony warrants for prior crimes he committed before the shooting incident. This is how any person with that classification level would be treated while in custody.”
When Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was asked at a news conference Thursday if he was concerned about the report, he said: “Hell yes. I would have no personal understanding why that would be necessary. Certainly he’s paid a horrific price already being shot seven or eight times in the back. So I can’t imagine why that’s happening.”
Justin Blake said he’s headed to Washington, D.C., on Friday with his brother, Jacob Blake’s father, also named Jacob Blake. They were invited by the/ Rev. Al Sharpton and plan to march there in support of the younger Jacob Blake.
Julia Jackson, the younger Jacob Blake’s mom, will stay with him at the hospital, Justin Blake said.
A Blake Family March is planned in Kenosha at 2 p.m. Saturday, Justin Blake said, and they have chartered 10 buses to bring family and friends north from Evanston and Chicago. The march will kick off at the Boys and Girls Club on 52nd Street in Kenosha.
After three nights of violent demonstrations, looting and fires, Kenosha’s streets were relatively calm Wednesday night. Local authorities moved up their nightly curfew by an hour to 7 p.m., though protesters ignored it even as they remained generally peaceful.
Meanwhile, Thursday evening in Illinois, a few hundred people marched through downtown Evanston to call attention to the shooting of Blake.
The crowd began gathering around 6:30 p.m. for a demonstration that saw marchers carrying signs and chanting as they made their way through the streets. They eventually ended at the Evanston Police Department, where organizers made remarks and called for the defunding of police.
A marcher with a megaphone called out, “Jacob Blake Matters,” and the crowd repeated the phrase.
Danielle Bridges, who grew up in Evanston and now lives in Chicago, said she felt personally compelled to attend the evening’s march.
“I can’t sit at home and ponder on this, I had to do something. I had to be out with people and understand what’s going on, and commune with them and make our voices heard,” Bridges said.
The event was peaceful, and police officers were on hand to close local streets for marchers, according to a tweet from Evanston police.
Blake lived in Evanston for years and attended Evanston Township High School. He is part of a family with deep ties to the community. His grandfather, also named Jacob Blake, was a pastor at the historic Ebenezer AME Church in Evanston and was active in the civil rights movement and a push for affordable housing in town.
Chicago Tribune reporters Javonte Anderson, Christy Gutowski, John Keilman, Robert McCoppin, Stacy St. Clair and Alice Yin. Pioneer Press’ Genevieve Bookwalter, freelance reporter Brian L. Cox and the Associated Press also contributed.
