A 17-Year-Old Of Antioch, Illinois, has been charged with the murder of 2 Black Lives Matter protestors in Wisconsin as BLM protests continue in the state. Kyle Rittenhouse was caught on video firing multiple rounds from what appears to be an AR-15 assault rifle as he was chased down the street by protestors. Some have claimed that they only began chasing Rittenhouse after he had already fired on protestors.
Social media profiles belonging to Rittenhouse show that he was obsessed with law enforcement and other emergency services, 'Back The Blue' badges were attached to his profile pictures. The Back The Blue campaign was set up to defend police officers amidst criticism related to their actions over the past year, particularly following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Rittenhouse was one of dozens of individuals dressed in militia type clothing that had come to the streets of Wisconsin amid protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake four days ago by officers. Many of those heavily armed and dressed in the militia type fatigues claimed that they were on the streets to protect businesses and property from attack. Three nights of protests and rioting have occurred following the shooting of Mr. Blake.
After Rittenhouse was apprehended, a new video emerged of his interactions with police officers in the moments before he opened fire. In the video, he and officers can be heard acting friendly towards each other and the police even give him bottles of water and state:
'We appreciate you being here.'
In the video, Rittenhouse also states how impressed he is by their vehicle. Why Rittenhouse travelled all the way to Wisconsin from Illinois in unclear but what is clear is that it is illegal for a 17 year-old to possess a firearm.
In a shocking press conference regarding Rittenhouse's arrest, it appeared as though the Kenosha Police Department sought to put the blame on protestors as oppose to Rittenhouse himself. In the press conference an officer states that none of the protestors should have been out after curfew, a curfew that would have also applied to Rittenhouse.
His comments have now been roundly criticised.
Further protests are now to be expected and NBA players have called for a strike in solidarity with the BLM movement.
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