Arrest Made After 2 Killed, 1 Injured In Kenosha Protests

KENOSHA, WI — An Illinois resident was arrested after two people were shot dead and a third seriously wounded late Tuesday during the third night of protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch was taken into custody on a warrant on a first-degree intentional homicide charge Wednesday and is in custody in Lake County, according to authorities and court documents. Court records from Lake County, Illinois — where Rittenhouse was arrested — show that he is listed as a fugitive from justice. A court hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday on the status of Rittenhouse's extradition.

Rittenhouse has been seen armed with an AR-15 rifle on social media posts and has posted pro-police messages with phrase "Blue Lives Matter" to Twitter, according to CBS News. He fled to Illinois to avoid being prosecuted on the charge filed in Kenosha County, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Lake County.

Police in Antioch confirmed the arrest in a news release, saying authorities in Kenosha County issued an arrest warrant charging him with first-degree intentional homicide.

According to Kenosha police, officers were sent to the area of 63rd Street and Sheridan Road after witnesses reported hearing several gunshots about 11:45 p.m.

Authorities said two people were killed in the shootings and a third gunshot victim was transported to a local hospital with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening. The victims killed in the shooting were identified as a 26-year-old Silver Lake resident and a 36-year-old Kenosha resident.

According to a JSOnline report from early Wednesday, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said one of the victims was shot in the head and the second was shot in the chest. In the report, Beth said he believes at least one person would be arrested based on what investigators were seeing on social media video recorded by eyewitnesses.

Earlier, Beth told the Kenosha News that at least one man shot at protesters with what he called a "long gun," typically meaning a rifle of some sort. In the report, Beth said the shooter and one of the deceased were white men, but did not confirm the sex or identity of the second deceased person.

Multiple videos recorded from the scene by eyewitnesses put the shooting near the Car Source used car dealership on the corner of 63rd and Sheridan — several blocks south from the epicenter of this week's protests in Kenosha's downtown district.

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One eyewitness video recorded audio of a volley of gunfire, and people scattering in all directions from the intersection. In this video, recorded by a videographer from CJ TV Tuesday night, a person in the street is apparently wounded by gunfire. (Viewer discretion is advised, as this video contains graphic language and graphic imagery.)

In a news release early Wednesday, Kenosha police said investigators were aware of several videos from the shooting that were recorded by witnesses and posted on social media.

How To Help

Kenosha police are asking for the public's help in learning more about the shooting. Authorities are asking witnesses to contact the Kenosha Police Department Detective Bureau at 262-605-5203. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact Kenosha Area Crime Stoppers at 262- 656-7333.

Three Nights Of Protests, Damage

Tuesday night's protests were the third night of widespread property damage and violence in Kenosha following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Blake, 29, was shot several times by Kenosha police Sunday during the course of a domestic dispute on the city's north side.

A witness to the shooting recorded the incident on video. In that video, police are seen following Blake around his SUV, grabbing him by the shirt, and opening fire on him several times as he enters his SUV while his children were apparently seated inside.

Blake survived the shooting. The video of Blake's shooting has gone viral, and Kenosha has seen widespread protests ever since.

Public officials of all kinds have weighed in on the shooting, some calling for immediate punishment for the officer who pulled the trigger, others for police and social reforms, and others who are calling for a playing-out of the police investigation into the shooting.

Blake's family spoke publicly for the first time Tuesday as they were joined by civil rights attorney Ben Crump outside the Kenosha County Courthouse.

Jacob Blake's father, also named Jacob Blake, fought back tears when talking about his son. "They shot my son seven times. Seven times. Like he didn't matter. But my son matters. He's a human being, and he matters," he said Tuesday afternoon. "We will be working with some of the best child psychologists in the U.S. All my grandsons ask repeatedly is, 'Why the police shoot my daddy in the back?'"

A team of attorneys headed by Crump said they intend to file a civil lawsuit on Blake's behalf in addition to calling for the arrest of the Kenosha police officer who shot Blake, and the immediate firing of the involved officers who "violated their police training."

National Guard Called Out, Protests Continue

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers called out the National Guard, sending 250 Guard members into Kenosha on Tuesday. That's in addition to the 125 Guard members who were called up the previous day. By Tuesday night, 7-foot-tall security fences were erected around the Kenosha County Courthouse — a barrier over which protesters threw rocks, water bottles and other objects.

Just about every building storefront in Kenosha's downtown district has been boarded up in anticipation of further protests and destruction.

Kenosha Fire Department officials said they responded to more than 37 fires between late Monday and early Tuesday alone.

Fire officials said Kenosha police officers were involved in "numerous accidents, assaults, and injuries with traumas of varying degrees, including a shooting." One officer was also hit was a mortar round, fire officials said. The extent of the officer's injuries are not currently known.

Fire officials said a major fire on 60th Street from 11th Ave to 14th Avenue nearly leveled several city blocks. Losses included the county's probation office, a Department of Corrections building and several local community businesses and several homes.

Kenosha County implemented a curfew from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday and Tuesday nights for all residents east of I-94 in Kenosha County. It proved to do little good, as protesters fought with police at the Kenosha County Courthouse all week.

Tuesday afternoon, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said 16 arrests were made between Sunday and Monday nights.

Amie Schaenzer contributed to this report.