A Kenosha County Court commissioner set bail at $2 million for Kyle Rittenhouse on Monday after he was extradited to Wisconsin to face murder charges.
The 17-year-old’s case has been a nationally polarizing one, and Rittenhouse himself has become a figurehead among some on the Right who say that more should be done to stop riots and violent demonstrations.
The teenager was charged in connection to shootings that killed two people and wounded a third person during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25. He is facing a first-degree intentional homicide charge for the death of Anthony Huber and first-degree reckless homicide for the death of Joseph Rosenbaum.
Rittenhouse has also been charged with attempted first-degree homicide for allegedly wounding Gaige Grosskreutz with his rifle.
Rittenhouse and his lawyers claim he was acting in self-defense. He told reporters at the time that he had traveled from his home state of Illinois to Kenosha, which was grappling with unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, in order to protect a car dealership from looters. After the shootings, which were recorded on video, Rittenhouse returned to Illinois, where he was arrested.
His legal team argued against his extradition and said it violated his constitutional rights. His team also said that bringing him back to Kenosha would be akin to turning him “over to the mob.”
During the Monday bond hearing, John Huber, the father of Anthony Huber, pushed back on Rittenhouse and his supporters’ claims that he acted in self-defense that night in Kenosha.
“It’s not about self-defense,” Huber said during the hearing, according to the Kenosha News. “My son was killed. Another man was killed. They didn’t deserve to be killed. And we don’t have that society where we just let people kill people.”
Huber also argued that the bond set for Rittenhouse should be at least $4 million, as supporters are raising money for him, and that the teenager poses a flight risk.
Mark Richards, Rittenhouse’s defense lawyer, said during the hearing that video sourced from the shooting helps show that his client did act in self-defense.
“He was attacked by a mob. We’re not talking about demonstrators, we’re talking about rioters,” Richards said. “And, unfortunately, they came in second.”
Rittenhouse faces up to life in prison if convicted of the charges. His next scheduled court appearance is set for Dec. 3.
