For those who are unaware, Kyle Rittenhouse was a 17 year old boy who has recently been
arrested on 2 accounts of 1st degree murder. Kyle had shot 3 people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing 2 protestors. As such, the loony left is hoping for his conviction, with many popular leftist twitter users calling Kyle's actions pre-meditated murder. Users such as
Brooklyn Dad and
Mrs. Krassenstein condemned his actions. However, the truth is that Kyle Rittenhouse had acted in self defense, only using his weapon against immediate threats.
Kyle's Motives:
Kyle had traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin in order to protect property and help assist others who are injured. In two interviews
here and
here, Kyle states his job was to protect a business and help injured people. As stated by Kyle, "If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harms way. That's why I have my rifle because I need to protect myself obviously. But, I also have my med-kit." Of course, there could be more that Kyle is not telling in order to appear innocent.
The First Shooting:
In the first shooting, Kyle fled from a protestor in front of what appeared to be a car dealership before shooting him in the head, killing him. However, based on 2 videos here and here, the protestor chasing him throws an object at him. Viewers have speculated based on the 2 videos that this projectile was a Molotov cocktail, as the projectile in question appears to be on fire in both videos. However, some claim that the projectile was actually a plastic bag with some type of weight inside to help it travel further. After the projectile is thrown,
one shot is fired from a handgun by a protestor on the sidewalk. Just before the protestor fires a shot from the handgun, the cameraman can be heard saying, "He got a gun baby."
As stated by the New York Times, "Mr. Rittenhouse turns toward the sound of gunfire as another pursuer lunges toward him from the same direction. Mr. Rittenhouse then fires four times, and appears to shoot the man in the head." After which, Kyle runs around the side of a car, where more bullets could be heard. However, due to a car obscuring Kyle, I cannot confirm whether or not the shots were fired by him or the other gunman. Kyle immediately runs around the car to pick up a cell phone and proceeded to call someone. Kyle runs away on the phone stating, "I just killed someone." Viewers speculated that this was Kyle calling the police in an attempt to turn himself in. I will elaborate further on this in the 2nd shooting.
The Second Shooting:
In the clip, Kyle is running down a straight road when a crowd pursues him. A conversation is heard with 2 protestors saying:
"What'd he do?"
"He shot someone."
Obviously, we know that this clip took place after the shooting at the car dealership. As he was running, he was knocked on the ground and protestors quickly went in to attack him. The first man tried to kick Kyle in the face, resulting in Kyle firing one shot which missed him. Another person attempts to hit Kyle with his skateboard, resulting in Kyle firing another shot hitting the protestor in the chest. Kyle ceases fire for a brief moment, until another protestor with a handgun charges at Kyle, in which Kyle fired yet another shot injuring the protestor's arm. The crowd disbands, allowing Kyle to get up and run to the police at the end of the street. Kyle approaches the police with his hands up.
Continuing with the speculation from earlier, if Kyle called the police to report what the shooting at the car dealership, it would make sense for Kyle to have approached the police with his hands up and law enforcement not immediately handcuffing him.
The Legality of Kyle's Gun Possession:
With Kyle being underaged (17 years old), he was illegally in possession of an assault rifle. Wisconsin and Illinois require gun owners to be
at least 18 and 21 years old respectively, with a few exceptions (none of which Kyle fulfilled to be the best of my knowledge).
However, Kyle still has a chance to avoid a misdemeanor if he can convince the court that his self defense fell under
Wisconsin self defense statute. The statute states, "A person who engages in unlawful conduct of a type likely to provoke others to attack him or her and thereby does provoke an attack is not entitled to claim the privilege of self-defense against such attack, except when the attack which ensues is of a type causing the person engaging in the unlawful conduct to reasonably believe that he or she is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm. In such a case, the person engaging in the unlawful conduct is privileged to act in self-defense, but the person is not privileged to resort to the use of force intended or likely to cause death to the person's assailant unless the person reasonably believes he or she has exhausted every other reasonable means to escape from or otherwise avoid death or great bodily harm at the hands of his or her assailant."
Conclusion:
Kyle did not act with the intent to harm anybody. Kyle wanted to simply provide assistance to the state of Wisconsin. Another example of Kyle's assistance comes from him
cleaning up BLM graffiti. Kyle acted in self defense. Therefore, all murder charges should be dropped. At most, Kyle should only be charged for illegally possessing a gun. As a result of Kyle's illegal possession of the firearm, he will be subjected to a
Class A misdemeanor if convicted. As stated by the
Wisconsin State Legislature, "For a Class A misdemeanor, a fine not to exceed $10,000 or imprisonment not to exceed 9 months, or both."
