The attorney for a 17-year-old teenager involved in the fatal shooting of two men in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August is trying to keep his client from being extradited to Wisconsin, where he is expected to face homicide charges.
Speaking outside a court hearing in Lake County, Illinois, Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorney John Pierce said he plans to challenge the extradition of his client by arguing that Rittenhouse’s detention was unlawful and a violation of his rights.
“We intend to challenge extradition by writ of habeas corpus,” Pierce said. “This is going to be involving issues of some complexity. Frankly, they haven’t arisen in this country in some time.”
Rittenhouse, who allegedly used an AR-15 to shoot and kill Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber during protests in late August against police brutality, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide by Wisconsin prosecutors who are awaiting his arrival from Illinois.
He is also being charged with first-degree reckless endangerment for firing his weapon toward a crowd of people on Aug. 25.
Rittenhouse, who had earlier in the day been videotaped cleaning graffiti off the local high school and later told a reporter he had traveled to Kenosha to protect local businesses, is accused of fatally shooting the two men who could be seen chasing him in an eyewitness video of the event. Rittenhouse also allegedly injured a third man who was photographed holding a pistol in the hand of his wounded arm.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has already signed a warrant transferring Rittenhouse to Wisconsin at the request of Gov. Tony Evers.
