Accused Teen Kenosha Shooter Will Face Charges in Only One State

Illinois says there's no evidence Kyle Rittenhouse had gun in the state
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 14, 2020 12:03 AM CDT
Accused Teen Kenosha Shooter Will Only Face Charges in One State
In this Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, file photo, Kyle Rittenhouse carries a weapon as he walks along Sheridan Road in Kenosha, Wis., during a night of unrest following the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake.   (Adam Rogan/The Journal Times via AP, File)

A 17-year-old accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wis., will not face charges in his home state of Illinois, prosecutors said Tuesday. An investigation revealed the gun used in the Kenosha shooting was purchased, stored, and used in Wisconsin, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said. There is no evidence the gun was ever physically possessed by Kyle Rittenhouse in Illinois, it said. Rittenhouse, of Antioch, remains held in a juvenile detention center in Lake County without bond due to pending criminal charges in Kenosha, the AP reports. He is due back in Lake County court on Oct. 30 for an extradition hearing.

His arrest has become a rallying point for some on the right, with a legal defense fund that has attracted millions of dollars in donations. But others see Rittenhouse as a domestic terrorist whose presence with a rifle incited the protesters. Defense attorneys have portrayed Rittenhouse as a courageous patriot who was exercising his right to bear arms during unrest over the shooting of Blake, who is Black.

(More Kyle Rittenhouse stories.)

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