[Kyle Rittenhouse]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “The officer thanks the armed men for their help, though they are clearly civilians in violation of the city’s 8 p.m. curfew. ‘We appreciate you guys,’ the officer says. ‘We really do.”
Photo: Twitter
Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with shooting three people — two of them fatally — during a Kenosha protest Tuesday evening, thought of himself as a militia member trying to protect life and property, according to videos, interviews and social media posts.
Video shot in the hours before the shooting shows Rittenhouse, who introduced himself as Kyle, hanging out with older armed men. They say they’re protecting a car lot.
Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Ill., also did a video interview with the Daily Caller in front of a boarded up building.
“People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business,” Rittenhouse says in the clip. “And my job also is to protect people. If someone is hurt, I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle; I’ve gotta’ protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit.”
Earlier Tuesday, a local militia known as the Kenosha Guard created a Facebook event called “Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property.” The invite was picked up by the far-right website Infowars.
The group’s Facebook page, which was taken down late Wednesday morning, calls Kenosha Guard a social club. But a post signed “Kenosha Guard Commander,” written to Kenosha Police Chief Miskins Tuesday, said this:
“As you know I am the commander of the Kenosha Guard, a local militia. We are mobilizing tonight and have about 3,000 RSVP’s. Our effort has made the national media. I ask that you do NOT have your officers tell us to go home under threat of arrest as you have in the past. We are willing to talk to KPD and open a discussion. It is evident that no matter how many Officers, deputies and other law enforcement officers that are here, you will still be outnumbered.”
At a news conference Wednesday, Miskinis said he didn’t know what group Rittenhouse was part of. He wouldn’t comment on the circumstances leading up Tuesday night’s shootings, saying the investigation was too new.
In another video clip, Rittenhouse appears with members of the armed group shown earlier, getting bottles of water from a law enforcement officer in an armored vehicle. The officer thanks the armed men for their help, though they are clearly civilians in violation of the city’s 8 p.m. curfew.
“We appreciate you guys,” the officer says. “We really do.”
Asked about that interaction during the news conference, Miskins said, “I don’t have any information that that existed.”
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, who appeared at the same event, said deputies would toss water to anyone.
Read the rest of this story here: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/08/26/kyle-rittenhouse-charged-kenosha-protest-shootings-militia/5634532002/
