Accused Kenosha gunman won't face charges in Illinois

Photo: AP/ Adam Rogan, The Journal Times. In this Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 file photo, Kyle Rittenhouse carries a weapon as he walks along Sheridan Road in Kenosha, Wis., during a night of unrest following the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake. The way his lawyers tell it, the teenager wasn't a scared, gun enthusiast in over his head when he fatally shot two protesters. He was a courageous defender of liberty, a patriot exercising his right to bear arms amid chaos in the streets. But some legal experts say Rittenhouse's lawyers are taking big risks by turning a fairly straightforward self-defense case into a sweeping political argument that mirrors the law-and-order re-election campaign of President Donald Trump.

Associated Press
Created: October 13, 2020 05:12 PM

A 17-year-old accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will not face charges in his home state of Illinois, prosecutors said Tuesday.

An investigation revealed the gun used in the Kenosha shooting was purchased, stored and used in Wisconsin, the Lake County State's Attorney's Office said. There is no evidence the gun was ever physically possessed by Kyle Rittenhouse in Illinois, it said.

Rittenhouse of Antioch, remains held in a juvenile detention center in Lake County without bond due to pending criminal charges in Kenosha. Rittenhouse is due back in Lake County court on Oct. 30 for an extradition hearing.

His arrest has become a rallying point for some on the right, with a legal defense fund that has attracted millions of dollars in donations. But others see Rittenhouse as a domestic terrorist whose presence with a rifle incited the protesters.

Defense attorneys have portrayed Rittenhouse as a courageous patriot who was exercising his right to bear arms during unrest over the shooting of Blake, who is Black.