Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from the state of Illinois, gets relief from a Wisconsin court as a $2 million bond has been set for his bail. The teenager was arrested in Kenosha in the state of Wisconsin for 2 counts of murder and 1 count of attempt to murder.
Rittenhouse, originally from Antioch in the state of Illinois, was charged with the murder of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber at demonstrations surrounding police brutality against Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse also injured another protestor, Gaige Grosskreutz.
Aside from charges against Rittenhouse for murder and attempt to murder, the teenager was also charged with multiple counts including possession of a dangerous firearm as well as public endangerment.
According to Thomas Binger, the assistant District Attorney, the bond price was valued so highly due to the extreme nature of the assault. He believed it was necessary to ensure his detainment.
Binger added that a conviction would likely mean that Rittenhouse was to spend his life in prison. An appeal to extradite Rittenhouse by his defense was turned down by the court.
This comes with the backdrop of the killing of Jacob Blake, an unarmed African American, due to police brutality. An online video of the incident became viral and resulted in a large number of demonstrations breaking out across the country.
Witnesses and official court documentation suggest that the Rittenhouse opened fire on Rosenbaum, 36 after he had attempted to disarm him amongst the crowd. Video footage of the incident shows Rittenhouse surrounded by supporters as he is lying fallen on the ground.
Huber, 26, attempted to wrestle the gun away after hitting him with his skateboard. Rittenhouse then shot and killed him in the process while injuring fellow protestor Grosskeurtz in the process. The assailant’s lawyers say their client acted in self-defense in an attempt to lessen his bond.
Speaking at the court, the father of the deceased Huber urged the court to increase Rittenhouse’s bond. John Huber expressed his feelings towards Rittenhouse acting against the law without remorse. A preliminary court hearing is set for December 3rd.
