Parents of shooting victim speak out
Huber shot while trying to disarm Rittenhouse
The parents of Anthony Huber, who was killed at a Kenosha protest Aug. 25, are “deeply disappointed that the President, members of the media, and others have said that Anthony deserved to die for attempting to protect others from a person who had just killed someone,” according to a statement released Friday by their attorneys.
Huber, 26, was fatally shot after he tried to use his skateboard to disarm Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois. Armed with an AR-15, Rittenhouse already had killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, when Huber approached him. Rittenhouse also shot medic Gaige Grosskreutz, who survived.
“Our nation depends on its leaders to uphold the law and to set the moral tone for its citizens,” the statement from Huber’s parents says. “In America, we celebrate heroes like Anthony who sacrifice for their communities, not armed vigilantes who cause death and chaos in the streets.”
Rittenhouse, who considered himself militia, has been charged with five felonies in connection with the shootings. His attorneys have said he plans to argue self-defense.
In their statement, released by the Chicago law firm Loevy & Loevy, Huber’s parents, John Huber and Karen Bloom said there was “absolutely no justification for his murder.”
“He sacrificed his own life to protect innocent civilians who were out that night protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake,” the statement says. “While we miss him dearly and wish none of this had happened, we are very proud of him. Without his incredible bravery, many others could have been killed or injured.”
The family also is troubled by videos and other information online “suggesting that local police may have permitted and even encouraged armed vigilantes, including Anthony’s killer, to patrol the streets of Kenosha and threaten civilians with firearms,” the statement says.
Blake was shot seven times in the back by Kenosha police and is paralyzed from the waist down, according to his family. An investigation by the state Department of Justice is pending. Its results could be released as soon as next week.