17-year-old arrested for murder and fleeing state after Kenosha shootings that left two dead
A 17-year-old Illinois resident has been arrested by police for first-degree murder after allegedly fatally shooting two
Wisconsin protesters on Tuesday evening.
Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, was charged in
Kenosha, Wisconsin, and labelled as a "fugitive of justice", according to Lake County, Illinois Clerk of Courts public records first obtained by the
Daily
Dot.
The Antioch Police Department made the arrest on Wednesday after the suspect allegedly fled Wisconsin for his home state following the shooting.
"(The suspect) fled the state of Wisconsin with the intent to avoid prosecution for that offence," according to the
document.
He faces charges of "first degree intentional homicide".
Video footage from the event showed a gunman in the middle of the street brandishing a semi-automatic rifle before firing off the shots that hit multiple people.
Eye witnesses then said the gunman was allowed to walk past police without getting arrested. In one video, protesters are heard shouting at police that he was the gunman as the officer drove by to attend to the victims.
As video footage circulated about the shooting, social media users identified the potential suspect as Rittenhouse. His Facebook page is no longer available to the public, but previous posts allegedly included Blue Lives Matter and pro-police statements. One image circulating of Rittenhouse showed the juvenile carrying a rifle similar to what was allegedly used during the shooting.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earlier on Wednesday that armed people have been patrolling the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, in response to the looting, burning, and other damage to buildings and cars in the area during the protests. He could not say if the gunman from Tuesday was among them.