Kyle Rittenhouse's AR-15 Rifle Destroyed In Forensics Lab: Report

WISCONSIN — The rifle that Kyle Rittenhouse used to shoot and kill two protesters and wound a third in Kenosha was destroyed in by forensic scientists, according to multiple reports.

The Wisconsin State Crime Lab destroyed the rifle, WISN 12 reported. Video shows a scientist placing the AR-style rifle into a mechanical shredder and crushing it.

Kenosha Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder granted Rittenhouse's request to have the rifle destroyed in late January.

Rittenhouse, 19, was acquitted for multiple charges including reckless homicide in November 2021. He shot and killed two protesters and wounded a third while at a protest in Kenosha in August 2020.

The 19-year-old had the rifle destroyed so it wouldn't become a political symbol, The Associated Press reported.

Related:

• Kenosha Judge Grants Rittenhouse Request To Destroy Rifle
• Rittenhouse Acquitted In Fatal Kenosha Protest Shooting