An Illinois teenager pleads not guilty to Kenosha’s murder

MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) – An Illinois teenager who fatally shot two people and injured a third in the midst of sometimes violent summer protests on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder charges intentional.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, filed his petition at a brief teleconference hearing that occurred just as Kenosha was preparing a charge decision Tuesday afternoon in case Rittenhouse arrived in the city in August: the shooting Jacob Blake police officer.

Prosecutors say Rittenhouse, who is white, left his home in Antioch, Illinois, and traveled to Kenosha after learning of a call to protect businesses after Blake, a black man, was shot seven times in the back on August 23 and was paralyzed.

Rittenhouse opened fire with an assault-style rifle during the protests two nights later, killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse has argued that he fired in self-defense. Conservatives have gathered around Rittenhouse and described him as a patriot who took up arms to protect people and property and raised enough money to make his $ 2 million bail.

Others see him as a domestic terrorist whose presence with a rifle incited protesters.

Blake’s shooting came three months after George Floyd’s death while being detained by police officers in Minneapolis, which was also captured in a video of the spectator and sparked outrage and widespread protests by the United States and beyond. The galvanized Black Lives Matter movement focused on inequitable policing and became a political fault line, with President Donald Trump criticizing protesters and aggressively pressuring a message of law and order that he tried to capitalize on in Wisconsin. and other tilting states.

In Kenosha, while the protests that followed damaged 100,000 businesses in the city, near the Wisconsin-Illinois border (authorities ultimately estimated about $ 50 million), some people responded to a call to social media to travel to Kenosha.

Conservatives have rallied to defend Rittenhouse’s legal defense, arguing that he was a patriot who took up arms to protect people and property. Rittenhouse, who is white, was 17 at the time of the shootings, and the charges include the illegal possession of a dangerous weapon by minors under 18 years of age.

A preliminary conference was set for Rittenhouse on March 10, with a trial date of March 29, although his lawyer Mark Richards indicated he would try to delay it to allow more time to prepare.

Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley has not publicly announced when it will be decided whether to prosecute Kenosha Police Officer Rusten Sheskey. But the city began to move in recent days to prepare for the event, with some companies climbing on its concrete windows and barricades and large metal fences surrounding the county court. Kenosha. Fearing a repeat of the August protests, the Kenosha Joint Council unanimously passed an emergency resolution Monday night that goes into effect with the announcement and allows the mayor to set up curfews.

Meanwhile, Gov. Tony Evers activated 500 National Guard troops to assist Kenosha authorities when the decision was announced.

“Our National Guard members will be at your disposal to support local first aid, ensure Kenoshans can meet safely and protect critical infrastructure when needed,” Evers said in a statement.

Blake’s father led a march through the city Monday evening, calling on people to “make noise” and “be heard around the world.”

“(Sheskey) tried to kill my son and could have killed my grandchildren,” Jacob Blake Sr. said during a press conference before the march. “He shot him seven times in the back unjustifiably.”

The family said it has taken too long to make a charge decision and precautions suggest Sheskey will not be charged.

“What is the National Guard for?” Jacob Blake Sr. “Are they going to deliver mail? Deliver ice cream? Why do you think they are here? ”

Tanya McLean, executive director of the community organization Leaders of Kenosha and a friend of the Blake family, said the march on Monday evening was beginning that violence is not acceptable.

“No matter what the decision, we look for nonviolence,” he said. “We want everyone to come out, make as much noise as you want, but we don’t want goods or companies to be destroyed. We are for nonviolence. Everything else is not acceptable to this community. “