Prosecutors announced Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen facing charges in Wisconsin in the shooting deaths of two men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will not face gun charges in his home state of Illinois.
Authorities determined the AR-15 rifle that was used during the shootings was “purchased, stored, and used in Wisconsin,” never crossing the border into the state of Illinois. The announcement backs up statements from Rittenhouse’s attorney, who said the gun belonged to an unidentified friend in Wisconsin.
“Kyle did not carry a gun across state lines. The gun belonged to his friend, a Wisconsin resident. The gun never left the state of Wisconsin,” the attorney, L. Lin Wood, said.
Rittenhouse, 17, still faces multiple charges in Wisconsin, including first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
Lawyers for Rittenhouse have maintained his innocence, pointing to multiple viral videos on social media that they say show he acted in self-defense.
“Where are the charges for aggravated assault against Kyle Rittenhouse?” attorney John Pierce, who is representing Rittenhouse, asked Fox News’s Tucker Carlson in late August. “As a 17-year-old, he was legally entitled to have that firearm in his possession. This is 100% self-defense, Tucker.”
Pierce said that Rittenhouse was in Wisconsin at the request of a local business owner who needed help defending his business during the riots in Kenosha.
“Kyle and his friends decided that nobody was doing anything to protect that community, and they decided that they would answer that call and help to protect that business,” he said.
Since the gun never crossed state lines, Pierce argued that Rittenhouse was within the law to have it in his possession.
The two people killed in the incident were identified as Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 29. A third person, Gaige Grosskreutz, was wounded during the exchange.
