A teen accused of opening fire on a group during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin last night, killing two, is in custody in Illinois, the Antioch police department announced in a Facebook post. The post did not name the 17-year-old, who they said is an Antioch resident. But the Lake County, Illinois State’s Attorney’s office said Kyle Rittenhouse was in bond court this morning regarding being a fugitive from justice in Wisconsin, and is being held on no bond. He was due back in court for an extradition hearing on Friday.
Cellphone video that circulated on social media showed what appeared to be a White man with a semi-automatic rifle opening fire on a group of people during demonstrations over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The man with the gun is then seen walking toward responding police vehicles, at times with his hands in the air, as some police vehicles drive past him.
Sheriff David Beth said one victim was shot in the head and another in the chest, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The third victim’s wounds were not believed to life-threatening.
The warrant out of Kenosha County, Wisconsin charges the teen with first-degree intentional homicide, according to the Antioch Police. Antioch Police said the arrest came following posts on social media “that may imply that our community may experience social unrest,” but did not specify whether the teen was involved in those posts.
The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks extremist activity, told CBS News there were militia members at the Kenosha protest but found no indication from Rittenhouse’s social media footprint that he is connected to any extremist movements. His posts indicate he is extremely pro-police and appears to have been a former police explorer, a career-oriented program for youth considering a career in law enforcement. Many of his social media posts use the phrase, “Blue Lives Matter,” according to the ADL.
Arrest documents indicate Rittenhouse is employed by the YMCA as a lifeguard.
Sarah Barth contributed reporting. This is a developing story and will be updated.
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