Kyle Rittenhouse won’t face Illinois gun charges over AR-15-style rifle allegedly used to kill 2 in Kenosha
Kyle Rittenhouse won’t face gun charges in his home state of Illinois over the AR-15-style weapon he allegedly used to kill two men during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, prosecutors said Tuesday.
An “extensive investigation” conducted by the Antioch Police Department failed to return any evidence Rittenhouse, 17, committed any crimes related to the weapon in Lake County, Illinois, prosecutors said.
“The gun used in the Kenosha shooting was purchased, stored and used in Wisconsin. Additionally, there is no evidence the gun was ever physically possessed by Kyle Rittenhouse in Illinois,” a statement from Lake County State’s Attorney Michael G. Nerheim said.
A resident of Antioch, Rittenhouse remains in custody at a juvenile detention center in Lake County without bond due to his pending criminal charges in Kenosha. He’s due back in Lake County court Oct. 30 for an extradition hearing.
According to the Chicago Tribune, an attorney working with Rittenhouse’s legal team has said the gun belonged to an unidentified friend of the teen.
Rittenhouse has been charged in Kenosha County with murder and other counts.
Prosecutors say he killed two men and injured a third at a protest held just days after Jacob Blake, an unarmed 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer in a caught-on-video confrontation Aug. 23.
Before he allegedly shot and killed two men Aug. 25, Rittenhouse was seen in bystander video hanging out with heavily armed, self-proclaimed “patriots” who claimed to be guarding private property.
Rittenhouse also was charged in Kenosha County with misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon while younger than 18.
He’s now fighting extradition in the case, with his lawyer claiming he’s the victim of a possible “political prosecution.”
