Shooting suspect considered himself part of militia
Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old charged with shooting three people — two fatally — during a Kenosha protest Tuesday night, considered himself a militia member trying to protect life and property, according to videos, interviews and social media posts.
Video recorded hours before the shooting shows Rittenhouse hanging out with older armed men who say they’re protecting a car lot. Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, also did a video interview with the Daily Caller in front of a boarded up building.
“People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business,” Rittenhouse says in the clip. “And my job also is to protect people. If someone is hurt, I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle; I’ve gotta’ protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit.”
The heavy involvement of armed militia members among protesters has added an element of volatility to this week’s protests in Kenosha. While small pockets of armed men have gathered at protests in Milwaukee throughout the summer, the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer has drawn more people — with more guns. Combine that with lesser-prepared police in a smaller city and national attention that’s drawn demonstrators from out of town and the risk of violence increases.
Tuesday night’s shootings in Kenosha represented one of the worst possible outcomes, according to Alex Friedfeld, investigative analyst at the AntiDefamation League.
“This is the scenario we’ve been worried about,” he said.
The large presence of armed men Tuesday night in Kenosha has been linked to a local militia group known as the Kenosha Guard, which created a Facebook event called “Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property.” The invitation was re-posted by the far-right website Infowars.
The Kenosha Guard’s Facebook page, which was taken down late Wednesday morning, called it a social club. But a post signed “Kenosha Guard Commander,” written to Kenosha Police Chief Miskinis Tuesday, said this:
“As you know I am the commander of the Kenosha Guard, a local militia. We are mobilizing tonight and have about 3,000 RSVP’s. Our effort has made the national media. I ask that you do NOT have your officers tell us to go home under threat of arrest as you have in the past. We are willing to talk to KPD and open a discussion. It is evident that no matter how many Officers, deputies and other law enforcement officers that are here, you will still be outnumbered.”
At a news conference Wednesday, Miskinis said he didn’t know what group Rittenhouse was part of. He wouldn’t comment on the circumstances leading to Tuesday night’s shootings, saying the investigation was too new.
Rittenhouse was arrested Wednesday in Illinois and is expected to be extradited to neighboring Kenosha County to face charges in the coming days.
Militia groups cropping up
Groups similar to Kenosha Guard have been showing up at protests promising to protect communities across the nation, according to Friedfeld, a former intelligence analyst for the New York Police Department.
“The problem is, there is no way to vet who shows up and there is no guarantee that they’re trained to handle guns,” he said.
In New Mexico, a man affiliated with a militia calling itself New Mexico Civil Guard was charged in June with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for firing into a crowd. He was reportedly trying to prevent people from taking down a statue of a Spanish conquistador.
Although such groups claim allegiance with police, they are promoting their own agenda, according to Friedfeld. Their rhetoric often derides the Black Lives Matter movement, he said.
Another militia group, called the boogaloo, also has attended all three nights of protests in Kenosha so far, according to Justin Mishler, a selfproclaimed member who lives in Belvidere, Illinois.
About a dozen armed boogaloo members were at the protests Sunday, about two dozen Monday and more Tuesday, he said. Their purpose was to provide security and protection for businesses, he said.
Mishler said the Kenosha Guard is not affiliated with the boogaloo.
“It sounds like a group that’s probably a day old or less,” Mishler said, adding that neither he nor his fellow “boogaloo bois” know Rittenhouse. “He’s not one of us,” Mishler said. That makes sense to Friedfeld, considering that boogaloo questions the legitimacy of police, while civil militias such as Kenosha Guard want to align with law enforcement.
“The pro-cop stuff puts them wildly at odds with the boogaloo,” he said.
While openly carrying firearms is allowed in Wisconsin, the minimum age is 18.
“The fact that a 17-year-old is allowed to walk around with a long gun without being stopped adds to the tension,” Friedfeld said. “Just the presence of a
“Yesterday I had a person call me and say, ‘Why don’t you deputize citizens who have guns to come out and patrol the City of Kenosha?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh hell, no.’ What happened last night is the perfect reason why I wouldn’t.” David Beth Kenosha County Sheriff
firearm can escalate quickly to murder.”
‘We appreciate you guys’
Rittenhouse appears to be a strong supporter of police, according to his Facebook page, which has since been taken down.
His page featured pictures of badges with black bands across them, which police wear in mourning when a fellow officer is killed. An image of Rittenhouse and another man was framed in a blue circle that contains the words, duty, honor, courage and “Blue lives matter.”
Rittenhouse also was shown in a photo of participants in the Grayslake, Lindenhurst, Hainesville Public Safety Cadet program. The website for that group, also removed from view Wednesday, said cadets, who are between the ages of 14 and 20, are schooled in police procedures including traffic stops, crash investigations, firearms, domestic disputes and crime scene investigation.
Rittenhouse’s interactions with police and those of his fellow militia members have been cordial during the Kenosha protests, according to accounts from reporters and videos shared on social media.
In one of the video clips, shot late Tuesday night, a law enforcement officer in an armored vehicle gives bottles of water to a group of armed men that includes Rittenhouse. The officer thanks the men for their help, though they are clearly civilians in violation of the city’s 8 p.m. curfew.
“We appreciate you guys,” the officer says. “We really do.”
Asked about that interaction during the news conference, Miskinis said, “I don’t have any information that that existed.”
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, who appeared at the same event, said deputies would toss water to anyone.
“If someone came walking past, I don’t care if they’re a protester or who they are, they would pass water,” he said of his deputies. “We have cases . ... We have pallets of water and Gatorade.”
Beth also said he had been asked to cooperate with the Kenosha militia members but declined.
“Yesterday I had a person call me and say, ‘Why don’t you deputize citizens who have guns to come out and patrol the City of Kenosha?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh hell, no.’ What happened last night is the perfect reason why I wouldn’t,” Beth said. “The incident that happened last night where two people lost their lives were part of this group that wanted me to deputize them.”
Armed civilians
Among the armed men in the streets Tuesday was former Kenosha Ald. Kevin Mathewson, who is active in the Kenosha Guard. Mathewson posted a video selfie of the scene near the Kenosha government center Tuesday night. He did not return a phone message Wednesday.
Before the Kenosha Guard Facebook page was taken down Wednesday, a post there denied the shootings were connected to its activity.
“We are unaware if the armed citizen was answering the Kenosha Guard Militia’s call to arms,” it said. “Just like with the shooting of Jacob Blake, we need all the facts and evidence to come out before we make a judgment. God Bless and stay safe Kenosha!”
The post prompted a flood of replies, many in support of Rittenhouse, suggesting the victims deserved to be shot for looting and vandalism or that the shooter acted in self-defense.
But others were critical of the Kenosha Guard, accusing the group of instigating Rittenhouse’s involvement, whether or not he was a formal member.
“Shame on you Kenosha guard. You allowed a 17 year old to join you from out state and now he may pay for those mistakes for the rest of his life in a prison cell. SHAME ON YOU !!!!! ,” one woman wrote.
Ashley Luthern, Elliot Hughes, JR Radcliffe, Annysa Johnson and Jordyn Noenning of the Journal Sentinel staff and Nick Penzenstadler of USA Today contributed to this report.