The teenager suspected of shooting two protesters in the American city of Kenosha was charged on Friday. The prosecutor also suspects Kyle Rittenhouse of injuring a third demonstrator. The 17-year-old’s lawyers claim he acted in self-defense.
–
The two victims were killed on August 25 during Black Lives Matter protests against racism and excessive police brutality. The demonstrations and riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, started after a police officer repeatedly shot unarmed black man Jacob Blake in the back.
Rittenhouse, who comes from neighboring Illinois, had driven to Kenosha that evening armed with a semi-automatic rifle, he said to help keep order and assist the police. According to his lawyers, Rittenhouse feared for his life when protesters tried to disarm him.
One of the killed protesters is said to have hit Rittenhouse with a skateboard and tried to take his rifle before he was shot. After that, Rittenhouse would have shot another demonstrator, who was also armed. That demonstrator survived his injuries.
Rittenhouse’s attorneys see the lawsuit against their client as a case over the right to have firearms. “A 17-year-old American citizen is being sacrificed by politicians, but it is not their concern to Kyle Rittenhouse,” can be heard in a video of a group affiliated with his defense. “Their ultimate goal is to take away citizens’ constitutional rights to defend their communities.”
– .
