Accused Kenosha killer Kyle Rittenhouse out of jail after posting $2M bail
The teenage gunman charged with killing two Black Lives Matter protesters in Wisconsin this summer walked out of jail Friday afternoon after posting $2 million bail.
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was released from custody around 2 p.m. and handed over to his own security detail after his attorneys posted bond on his behalf, according to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department.
Supporters have been donating money for his bail, and a lawyer Friday said cash from former “Silver Spoons” and “NYPD Blue” actor Ricky Schroeder and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell helped spring Rittenhouse.
“KYLE RITTENHOUSE IS OUT OF JAIL.” attorney Lin Wood tweeted. “God bless ALL who donated to help #FightBack raise required $2M cash bail. Special thanks to Actor Ricky Schroder ... & Mike Lindell ... for putting us over the top.”
The Illinois teen faces a series of felony charges, including intentional homicide and reckless endangerment, in the shooting of three men during a chaotic protest on Aug. 25. Two of the victims, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, died that same night.
The civil unrest in the southern Wisconsin city of Kenosha was sparked by the police shooting of unarmed Black man Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back seven times just days earlier.
Rittenhouse, who claims he fired his assault-style rifle in self-defense, tried fighting extradition from Illinois for two months before being transferred to the Kenosha County jail three weeks ago.
The case has turned into a rallying cry for gun-rights activists and far-right politicians who see the accused killer as a hero exercising his Second Amendment right to bear arms. His supporters launched a legal-defense fund.
Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement, meanwhile, have described the teen as a domestic terrorist and white supremacist whose armed presence in a racial justice demonstration helped fuel more violence in the streets.
Cellphone videos from the scene appear to show Rittenhouse opening fire during a confrontation with protesters over his weapon. He claims he was in Kenosha that night to help protect the city from looters and only fired his gun in self-defense.
The aspiring medic told The Washington Post in a jailhouse interview this week that he planned to guard a local business and offer medical care to anyone who was injured.
“I was going into a place where people had guns and God forbid somebody brought a gun to me and decided to shoot me ... I wanted to be protected, which I ended up having to protect myself,” he told the paper.
Rittenhouse also admitted that he paid for Smith & Wesson rifle with money he got from a taxpayer-funded coronavirus stimulus program. An adult friend who’s also facing charges in the case is accused of buying the weapon on the teen’s behalf because Wisconsin state law prohibits minors from possessing or carrying a firearm unless they are hunting.
With News Wire Services
