Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois teen who shot three people, killing two, after he traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin ostensibly to protect people’s property during unrest following the police shooting of an unarmed Black man, has pleaded not guilty to all charges in a court hearing Tuesday, the Associated Press reports.
Rittenhouse is expected to claim he was acting in self-defense after he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz with an AR-15 assault rifle he illegally obtained after having a friend in Wisconsin buy it in a strawman purchase.
Rittenhouse is facing numerous charges, including intentional murder, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder and gun possession charges. He is out on bail after right-wing media have characterized his actions as heroic and raised $2 million in cash to get him out of jail.