Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of shooting and killing two people during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, thanked his supporters during a phone call with one of his lawyers on Tuesday (September 1). The phone call was recorded and posted to Twitter.
“I just wanna thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for the underlying support,” Rittenhouse said on the phone speaker from a county jail. “I just want to thank all of you for the mail I’ve been receiving. It’s been really helpful. I just want y’all to know that I’m going to be out of here soon,” he continued.
The suspect’s lawyer,John Pierce, spoke after Rittenhouse’s speech, calling his client’s actions “self-defense” after Rittenhouse claimed to be attacked by protesters.
"If this is not self-defense for Kyle Rittenhouse under the circumstances, then no one can protect themselves, no one can protect their family and no one can protect their country," Pierce said in the video, calling the suspect’s action a “God-given right. We are not going to allow a prosecutor in Kenosha, Wisconsin to take it away from Kyle," Pierce said.
Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree homicide, first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and a misdemeanor weapons use in the August 25 shooting deaths of Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36. Another person, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was also reportedly shot and wounded.
The suspect traveled back to his home in Antioch, Illinois, where he was later arrested, illegally armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.
Blake was shot seven times on August 23 by Kenosha Police officer Rusten Shesky. The policeman is on administrative leave pending an investigation from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
On Tuesday, during a press conference in Kenosha, President Donald Trump also defended Rittenhouse, suggesting he acted in his defense.
“That was an interesting situation. You saw the same tape as I saw. He [Rittenhouse] was trying to get away from them, I guess it looks like. And he fell. And then they [protesters] very violently attacked him,” Trump said. "I guess he [Rittenhouse] was in very big trouble. He probably would have been killed."
On the same day of the conference, Blake’s family hosted a “Justice for Jacob” event, in which they offered voter registration and coronavirus testing, according to reports. Blake’s uncle, Justin, spoke during the event and criticized Trump.
Photo: Getty Images