Facebook Kyle Rittenhouse
Kyle Rittenhouse, the Antioch, Illinois, teenage supporter of police who went to Kenosha, Wisconsin to protect people and property amidst major unrest, has now been criminally charged with two counts of homicide. The criminal complaint paints a chaotic scene, in which Rittenhouse is accused of gunning down three people who were chasing or confronting him.
Heavy has confirmed that Rittenhouse is in custody in Illinois, where he is accused of being a fugitive from justice.
The Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office criminally charged Rittenhouse with two counts of homicide and other criminal offenses. Read the full criminal complaint here.
The charges hit the Wisconsin Circuit Court website around 5 p.m., formally charging Rittenhouse, 17, with the following:
Count no. Statute Description Severity Disposition
1 940.02(1) 1st-Degree Reckless Homicide Felony B
Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
2 941.30(1) 1st-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety Felony F
Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
3 940.01(1)(a) 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide Felony A
Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
4 940.01(1)(a) Attempt 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide Felony A
Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
5 941.30(1) 1st-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety Felony F
Modifier: 939.63(1)(b) Use of a Dangerous Weapon
6 948.60(2)(a) Possess Dangerous Weapon-Person CCAP[/caption]
Here’s what you need to know:
What the Criminal Complaint Alleges
FacebookAnthony Huber, who died in one of the shootings.
The criminal complaint gives a detailed narrative for the first time of the State of Wisconsin’s allegations against Rittenhouse.
It accuses him of the following:
“An 8 p.m. curfew had been imposed east of I-94 in Kenosha County due to civil unrest. On August 25th at approximately 11:45 p.m. a shooting occurred at Car Source which is located at the northwest corner of 63rd St. and Sheridan Road in the City and County of Kenosha, State of Wisconsin.”
According to the complaint, the man who was shot at this location “was identified as Joseph Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum was transported to a local hospital where a doctor declared him to be deceased on August 26, 2020 at 12:47 a.m. In the course of investigating this incident, law enforcement reviewed and shared with your complainant multiple videos that appeared to be recorded on cell phones. In the first video, a male who was later identified to be Kyle H. Rittenhouse, DOB: 01/03/03 (hereinafter “the defendant”), is running southwest across the eastern portion of the Car Source parking lot.”
The defendant is a resident of Antioch, Illinois, the complaint states. “The defendant can clearly be seen holding a long gun, which was later recovered by law enforcement and identified as a Smith & Wesson AR-15 style .223 rifle. The recovered magazine for this rifle holds 30 rounds of ammunition.”
There were two shooting scenes. The first man who died was trailing behind Rittenhouse and threw a plastic bag at him, according to the complaint.
“Following the defendant is Rosenbaum and trailing behind the defendant and Rosenbaum is a male who was later identified as Richard McGinnis, a reporter,” it says. “The video shows that as they cross the parking lot, Rosenbaum appears to throw an object at the defendant. The object does not hit the defendant and a second video shows, based on where the object landed, that it was a plastic bag. Rosenbaum appears to be unarmed for the duration of this video.”
A review of the second video “shows that the defendant and Rosenbaum continue to move across the parking lot and approach the front of a black car parked in the lot. A loud bang is heard on the video, then a male shouts, ‘F*ck you!,’ then Rosenbaum appears to continue to approach the defendant and gets in near proximity to the defendant when 4 more loud bangs are heard. Rosenbaum then falls to the ground. The defendant then circles behind the black car and approaches Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum remains on the ground,” says the complaint.
McGinnis “also approaches, removes his shirt, and attempts to render aid to Rosenbaum. The defendant appears to get on his cell phone and place a call. Another male approaches, and the defendant turns and begins to run away from the scene. As the defendant is running away, he can be heard saying on the phone, ‘I just killed somebody,'” the complaint alleges. “Detective Cepress interviewed McGinnis and indicates the following: Before the shooting, McGinnis was interviewing the defendant. The defendant told McGinnis that he was a trained medic.”
McGinnis stated that he (McGinnis) “has handled many ARs and that the defendant was not handling the weapon very well. McGinnis said that as they were walking south another armed male who appeared to be in his 30s joined them and said he was there to protect the defendant. McGinnis stated that before the defendant reached the parking lot and ran across it, the defendant had moved from the middle of Sheridan Road to the sidewalk and that is when McGinnis saw a male (Rosenbaum) initially try to engage the defendant. McGinnis stated 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,” according to the complaint.
McGinnis stated that “there were other people that were moving very quickly. McGinnis stated that they were moving towards the defendant. McGinnis said that according to what he saw the defendant was trying to evade these individuals. McGinnis described the point where the defendant had reached the car. McGinnis described that the defendant had the gun in a low ready position. Meaning that he had the gun raised but pointed downward. The butt of the gun would have been at an angle downwards from the shoulder. McGinnis stated that the defendant brought the gun up. McGinnis stated that he stepped back and he thinks the defendant fired 3 rounds in rapid succession.”
The complaint further alleged:
McGinnis said when the first round went off, he thought it hit the pavement. McGinnis felt something on his leg and his first thought was wondering whether he had gotten shot. McGinnis was behind and slightly to the right of Rosenbaum, in the line of fire, when the defendant shot. McGinnis stated that the first round went into the ground and when the second shot went off, the defendant actually had the gun aimed at Rosenbaum. McGinnis stated he did not hear the two exchange any words.
McGinnis said that the unarmed guy (Rosenbaum) was trying to get the defendant’s gun. McGinnis demonstrated by extending both of his hands in a quick grabbing motion and did that as a visual on how Rosenbaum tried to reach for the defendant’s gun. Detective Cepress indicates that he asked McGinnis if Rosenbaum had his hands on the gun when the defendant shot. McGinnis said that he definitely made a motion that he was trying to grab the barrel of the gun. McGinnis stated that the defendant pulled it away and then raised it.
McGinnis stated that right as they came together, the defendant fired. McGinnis said that when Rosenbaum was shot, he had leaned in (towards the defendant). McGinnis stated that after the defendant shot he ran back towards the hospital towards the middle of the road. McGinnis stayed and turned his attention to Rosenbaum. McGinnis stated that he then heard other shots really soon after. The third video that your complainant reviewed shows the defendant running northbound on Sheridan Road after he had shot Rosenbaum. The street and the sidewalk are full of people. A group of several people begin running northbound on Sheridan Road behind the defendant.
The complaint now describes the next shooting, which occurred after Rittenhouse ran.
It says:
A person can be heard yelling what sounds like, ‘Beat him up!’ Another person can be heard yelling what sounds like, ‘Hey, he shot him!’ Your complainant reviewed a fourth video that showed a different angle of the defendant running northbound. In this video a person can be heard yelling, ‘Get him! Get that dude!’ Then a male in a light-colored top runs towards the defendant and appears to swing at the defendant with his right arm.
This swing makes contact with the defendant, knocking his hat off. The defendant continues to run northbound. On the video a male can be heard saying something to the effect of, ‘What’d he do?’ Another male can be heard responding something to the effect of, ‘Just shot someone.’
Then a male can be heard yelling, ‘Get his ass!’ The defendant then trips and falls to the ground. As the defendant is on the ground, an unidentified male wearing a dark-colored top and lightcolored pants jumps at and over the defendant. Based on the sounds of gunshots on the video and the positioning of the defendant’s gun, it appears that he fires two shots in quick succession at this person. It appears that that person was not hit as he then runs away from the defendant.
A second person who was later identified as Anthony Huber approaches the defendant who is still on the ground, on his back. Huber has a skateboard in his right hand. When Huber reaches the defendant it appears that he is reaching for the defendant’s gun with his left hand as the skateboard makes contact with the defendant’s left shoulder. Huber appears to be trying to pull the gun away from the defendant. The defendant rolls towards his left side and as Huber appears to be trying to grab the gun the gun is pointed at Huber’s body. The defendant then fires one round which can be heard on the video. Huber staggers away, taking several steps, then collapses to the ground. Huber subsequently died from this gunshot wound.
After shooting Huber, the defendant moves to a seated position and points his gun at a third male, later identified as Gaige Grosskreutz, who had begun to approach the defendant. When the defendant shot Huber, Grosskreutz freezes and ducks and takes a step back. Grosskreutz puts his hands in the air. Grosskreutz then moves towards the defendant who aims his gun at Grosskreutz and shoots him, firing 1 shot. Grosskreutz was shot in the right arm. Grosskreutz appears to be holding a handgun in his right hand when he was shot. Grosskreutz then runs southbound away from the defendant screaming for a medic and the defendant gets up and starts walking northbound.
The defendant turns around facing southbound while walking backwards northbound with his firearm in a ready position, pointed towards the people in the roadway. Dr. Kelley of the Milwaukee Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on Joseph Rosenbaum. Dr. Kelley indicated that Rosenbaum had a gunshot wound to the right groin which fractured his pelvis, a gunshot wound to the back which perforated his right lung and liver, a gunshot wound to the left hand, a superficial gunshot wound to his lateral left thigh, and a graze gunshot wound to the right side of his forehead. Dr. Kelley also conducted an autopsy on Anthony Huber.
Dr. Kelley indicated that Huber had a gunshot wound to his chest that perforated his heart, aorta, pulmonary artery, and right lung. Detective Antaramian spoke with Dominic Black on August 26, 2020. Dominic stated that he received a phone call from his friend Kyle Rittenhouse, the defendant, at 11:46 pm in which the defendant stated that he shot someone. Detective Antaramian saw the defendant in person at the Antioch, IL Police Department and identified the defendant as the shooter in the various videos.
Videos Show the Suspect Named as Rittenhouse Being Chased & Hit With a Skateboard
Pray for folks on the streets in Kenosha tonight. #KenoshaProtests #KenoshaRiot
In this video from @BGOnTheScene, protesters chase down a suspected shooter, but he manages to get some shots off. This is graphic.
Kenosha police told Heavy the state Department of Justice was investigating the shooting; DOJ is also the lead agency investigating the August 23 police shooting of Blake that started all of the disorder. Witnesses told Heavy at the scene that one man was shot in the head and described people convulsing and lying on the ground.
Fuck around. Found out. Someone shot in the head looting a car shop in #Kenosha
Videos and witnesses described a confusing scene with multiple eruptions of gunfire. At one point, videos and witnesses reveal, a white man in a green shirt ran down the street shouting that he wasn’t the shooter as people chased him. That was Rittenhouse. Several witnesses told Heavy he was struck by someone with a skateboard and fell to the ground with a gun in his hand, firing. People said they heard multiple guns going off.
Here are some photos from the scene. Rittenhouse is believed to be the male wearing a green shirt.
GettyOne shooting scene in Kenosha. The suspect named as Rittenhouse is on the ground holding the gun.
GettyThe suspect named as Rittenhouse walks away from the shooting scene.
GettyScenes from the Kenosha shooting.
Three witnesses told Heavy that the initial shooting ignited when a man, who was white, argued with Black Lives Matter protesters because they had lit fires in the area. However, that information is not confirmed. However, they described a person in a helmet and bulletproof vest and said he was a different person from the man in a green shirt (who was Rittenhouse.) Eyewitness accounts can often be contradictory or even wrong after chaotic mass shootings.
Another view of Kenosha militia shooting #kenoshaprotest #KenoshaUprising #KenoshaShooting #Kenosha
One video showed Rittenhouse walking with police. The New York Times said police gave him water before the shootings when he was guarding the car dealership.
This is the Kenosha shooter being offered water from the Kenosha police.
“We appreciate you being here.”
The police is working with the shooting militia. We need to abolish the police. They aren’t helping
“Down at the end of the block, there’s another victim. There’s a loaded handgun in the road right here,” a man says in one of the videos, which you can see later in the story.
“Multiple gunshots are fired after people chased a guy with a rifle. Rifle dude tripped and fell. He fired his gun at a guy who jumped on top of him,” Julio Rosas, a journalist with TownHall.com, wrote.
In a video by CJ TV, the shooting breaks out around 7 minutes into the video, which appears to no longer be available. The narrator says a man’s arm was “blown off” at one point in the video. One shooter shot two people, the narrator says. He refers to the man in the green shirt as being one of the “militia” people.
In the beginning of that video, the protesters go to check out a tire fire. At that point, gunshots ring out. “Those are gunshots down there,” the narrator says and starts running. People start shouting for a medic. A garbage can is lying in the middle of the street, turned over.
Then, the man in a green shirt runs down the middle of the street carrying a long gun. “They’re going to beat him up,” someone says. More gunshots erupt.
“Oh s*** he just shot that guy in the stomach,” the narrator says. “S***, people are getting shot all around us.”
The accused shooter, Rittenhouse, is wearing a green shirt with a backward baseball cap and running with a long gun. People give chase. More gunshots erupt. “I didn’t f****** do it,” someone shouts.
A man is bleeding from his right arm and people grab a tourniquet. “That guy was directly in front of me and I watched him shoot two people,” the narrator says.
One live stream by Andrew Mercado shows people congregating at a gas station before gunfire breaks out down the street. “People are just shooting. Oh my God,” Mercado says. Be aware that the language in the video is graphic.
“Oh my f****** Christ God,” he says. “Oh s***, that’s gunshots. They’re shooting.” The gunshots break out at 3 hours and 40 minutes into the video above. Right before the shooting, Mercado says, “It looks like the town is kicking the people out. These are community members here.” Multiple gunshots ring out. “Shots fired. That’s real gunfire. Just passing 61st Street,” he says.
“Somebody’s hurt,” a man shouts.
“There’s still gunshots in the city. They’re shooting,” says Mercado. People run down the street.
“That’s not the shooter,” he says at another point. “Now he’s on the ground. He’s shooting, he’s shooting, he’s shooting. Get down. Get down.” More gunshots ring out.
“People down, shots are fired.”
More shots ring out in the video.
There is a fire burning on the street.
There is confusion about the man people are chasing. “He got hit in the head and dude he just shot. He had a gun in his hand,” Mercado said.
“This is getting too much,” another man told him. “Another person got shot point blank right down the street.”
A white man with a weapon in a baseball hat was interviewed. “We came out initially to protect the property here. Things got a little rowdy,” he said. “We were able to calm it down. We were then trying to provide medical aid to protesters.” He said people had various injuries including a “gunshot to the arm.”
“We don’t know who, what or why, someone approached someone with a gun and shot,” the man said, adding that two people were shot, possibly a third. The accused shooter kept saying, “I didn’t shoot anybody.” He had a medic bag on his back.
Julio Rosas, the TownHall reporter, described a series of conflicts between armed citizens and demonstrators.
He reported that “rioters are getting into confrontations with armed citizens who are out here to prevent looting and destruction to businesses.” Three witnesses told Heavy that they believed the shooter was part of, or hanging out with, those armed citizen groups; they described the group as “All Lives Matter” in focus, saying one of its members was wearing a shirt with that slogan, but that was not the shooter.
Heavy observed a group of multiple white men in camouflage and openly carrying long guns walking toward the protest crowd as the crowd squared off with police near the courthouse. That was about an hour before the shooting. Heavy also observed multiple Black Lives Matter protesters openly carrying firearms. People also set arson fires and broke windows and smashed cars. In one viral video, an elderly business owner was attacked while trying to defend his business with a fire extinguisher.