Police arrested a 17-year-old in connection to a shooting that left two dead and a third injured in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kyle Rittenhouse will be charged with first degree intentional homicide, according to USA TODAY.
Police arrested Rittenhouse in Antioch, Illinois and subsequently charged him as a fugitive from justice on a homicide charge. He is currently in the Lake County jail in Illinois, pending an extradition hearing.
“Our Village of Antioch is deeply saddened by all loss of life. Our hearts and prayers extend to the friends and family who lost a loved one,” Antioch Mayor Lawrence Hanson said in a statement to CNN.
The shooting occurred Tuesday night amid three nights of violent protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday. Cellphone footage showed a police officer shooting Blake several times from behind. Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down and may never walk again, according to his family and attorney.
As a result of several cars and businesses being set ablaze, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency Tuesday and accepted federal assistance. Protesters and law enforcement clashed for three hours past the city curfew Tuesday night.
Tuesday’s shooting occurred on a busy street in Kenosha.
Many were still out protesting before Tuesday’s shooting at 11:45 p.m. on Sheridan Road in Kenosha. The sound of gunshots caused many to flee afterward or see shelter including behind bushes.
According to USA TODAY, social media footage showed the shooting and later its aftermath. A crowd and a few police officers chased after a man with a semi automatic rifle. Another video shows bystanders attempting to save a gunshot victim’s life.
Police have not released the identities of the three victims. However, the injured person was taken to the hospital with “serious, but non-life threatening injuries.”
According to The New York Times, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said his office is investigating whether the shooting was a result of a conflict between a group of armed business owners and demonstrators.
[Source: USA TODAY]
