A 17-year-old is said to have shot two people during the protests against police violence in Kenosha. The prosecution charges him with murder. His lawyer speaks of self-defense.
The 17-year-old suspect has been charged after killing two people and injuring another in anti-police violence protests in the US city of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Kyle R. is charged with willful murder, negligent homicide, attempted homicide and double negligent endangerment by the prosecution. He faces life imprisonment if convicted of willful murder, the most serious crime in Wisconsin.
At the weekend in Kenosha the black Jacob Blake was so badly wounded by police gunshots in the back that he will probably never be able to walk again. Blake is 29 years old and has six children. It is a new case of alleged police violence, a constant topic in the US, especially since the May 25 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As a result, there were protests in Kenosha afterwards.
Police let white gunmen pass first
Most of the shots on Tuesday evening were recorded on cell phone videos and distributed on the Internet. The Kenosha police have to put up with questions about their handling of the alleged shooter. According to witness statements and video footage, the police apparently let the shooter pass and left the scene with a rifle slung over his shoulder. From the crowd, people shouted at them that he had shot people and should be arrested. Carrying guns openly is permitted in Wisconsin.
Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth described the scene as chaotic and stressful, with loads of radio broadcasts and people screaming, singing and running – conditions that he said could trigger a “tunnel vision” in police officers. Videos taken before the shooting showed police officers from an armored vehicle throwing water bottles to people and thanking armed civilians. One of them appeared to be the later alleged shooter.
Civil rights activists demand the resignation of Police Chief Kenoshas
The civil rights group ACLU called for the resignation of Kenosha and Beth Police Chief Dan Miskinis for dealing with the shooting at Blake and subsequent protests. The teen’s attorney, Lin Wood, said R. acted in self-defense. Video footage shows R. being followed and escaping into a car before the gunshots can be heard and a person is dead. Then the shooter runs down the street, where he is followed by several people who shout that he has just shot someone. Several approach him, he trips and shoots again, kills another man and injures a third.
Those killed are 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum from Kenosha and 26-year-old Anthony Huber from Silver Lake, a few kilometers west of the city. The injured person is Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, from West Allis. According to activist Bethany Crevensten, Grosskreutz was working as a volunteer paramedic when he was shot. On Thursday, after peaceful protests, the streets in Kenosha were quiet for the first time since the shooting at Blake. There were no groups patrolling long guns, and protesters stayed away from the courthouse where some had previously clashed with police officers. Dozens of fires and shops had been destroyed during the riots the previous nights.
