November 01, 2024
Crime & Courts | Northwest Herald
Crime & Courts

Authorities: Antioch teen obtained rifle used in Kenosha shootings in Wisconsin

By Doug T - Daily Herald Media Group

Kyle Rittenhouse carries a weapon as he walks along Sheridan Road on Aug. 25 during a night of unrest after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. (The Journal)

The rifle used by Antioch teen Kyle Rittenhouse in the killing of two men and wounding of another during protests in Kenosha was "purchased, stored and used" in Wisconsin, Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim announced Tuesday.

An Antioch police investigation found no evidence that Rittenhouse, 17, possessed the AR-15 rifle in Illinois before the Aug. 25 shootings, according to a statement issued by Nerheim's office.

Nerheim spokesman Lee Filas said no additional details about the police findings would be released because of an ongoing investigation by Wisconsin authorities into the shootings.

Rittenhouse faces first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and other charges in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz.

The shootings took place during protests that erupted after a Kenosha police officer shot a Black man, 29-year-old Jacob Blake, in the back during an Aug. 23 confrontation.

If convicted of the most serious charges, Rittenhouse could spend the rest of his life in prison.

He currently is held without bail at the Minard E. Hulse Juvenile Detention Center near Vernon Hills while his attorneys fight his extradition to Wisconsin.