KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — An Illinois 17-year-old accused of killing two people during a protest in Wisconsin was seen smiling in a photo with his lawyer and “Silver Spoons” actor Ricky Schroder after being released from custody by posting a $2 million bond.
Kyle Rittenhouse is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz during a demonstration Aug. 25 that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha. He posted bond through his attorney at about 2 p.m. Friday.
Hours after being released, L. Lin Wood of Atlanta, who is a member of Rittenhouse’s defense team, tweeted a photo of Rittenhouse, Ricky Schroder and attorney John Pierce, under a title of “FREE AT LAST!!!” Lin earlier tweeted that a donation from Schroder helped put Rittenhouse’s bond fundraising effort “over the top.”
Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, told police he was attacked while he was guarding a business and that he fired in self-defense.
He faces multiple charges, including intentional homicide, reckless endangerment and being a minor in possession of a firearm. Wisconsin law doesn’t permit minors to carry or possess a gun unless they’re hunting. He is due back in court on Dec. 3 for a preliminary hearing.
His case has taken on political overtones. Supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement have painted Rittenhouse as a trigger-happy white supremacist. Conservatives upset over property destruction during recent protests have portrayed him as a patriot who was exercising his right to bear arms during unrest. A legal defense fund for Rittenhouse has raised millions of dollars in donations, and his mother got a standing ovation from women at a Waukesha County GOP function in September.
