A teenager who was walking among protesters in Kenosha, Wis., With a military-style semi-automatic rifle, was arrested and is facing a charge of first-degree intentional manslaughter in connection with shootings that killed two people Tuesday night.
Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Illinois resident, appeared on multiple videos taken overnight by protesters and bystanders describing the events when peaceful protests erupted into chaos, with protesters, armed civilians and others who oppose each other and the police in the dark streets.
The New York Times Visual Visualization Unit analyzed hours of footage of Mr.
Who’s Kyle Rittenhouse?
Mr Rittenhouse was arrested early Wednesday in his hometown of Antioch, Ill., About 30 minutes southwest of the Kenosha protests, just across the state line.
Several posts on his social media accounts announce support for pro-police causes such as the Blue Lives Matter movement and Humanize the Badge, a non-profit that ran a Facebook fundraiser on his 16th birthday.
His posts also suggest a strong affinity for guns, with videos showing that Mr.
But many details about both his background and his motivations for walking around the Kenosha protests carrying an assault rifle are still emerging.
Before the shootings
About two hours before the first shooting, the producer of a video livestream interviewed Mr. Rittenhouse at a Kenosha car dealership.
Mr. Rittenhouse is there at the same time as several other armed men. Some of them are standing on the roof of the building overlooking the parking lot where cars were burned the day before.
In a brief exchange over the livestream, he identifies himself as “Kyle.”
In another interview, Mr. Rittenhouse talks to Richie McGinniss, a video editor at The Daily Caller, a conservative news and opinion site.
Mr Rittenhouse says he is there to protect the company. He calls it “his job”, although there is no indication that he was asked to protect the site.
Later, he claims against another photographer that he was pepper sprayed by someone in a nearby crowd while protecting property.
In most of the movies that The Times has watched since before the shootings, Mr. Rittenhouse around this area. He also provides medical assistance to Protestants.
About 15 minutes before the first shooting, police officers drove past Mr. Rittenhouse, and the other armed citizens who claim to protect the traders, and offer water out of appreciation.
Mr Rittenhouse runs to a police car with his rifle and talks to the officers.
He eventually leaves the store and is barred from returning by police. Six minutes later the recordings show that Mr. Rittenhouse by an unknown group of people is chased to the parking lot of another dealer several blocks away.
First shooting
While Mr. Rittenhouse is being chased by the group, an unknown shooter shoots into the air, though it is unclear why. The snout of the weapon appears in movies filmed on the scene.
Mr. Rittenhouse turns to the sound of firearms as another pursuer shoots him from the same direction. Mr. Rittenhouse then fires four times, and seems to have shot the man in the head.
Second shooting
Mr. Rittenhouse seems to make a phone call and then flees the scene. Several people chased him, some shouting, “That’s the shooter!”
As Mr. Rittenhouse walks, he trips and falls to the ground. He fires four shots as three people run towards him. One person appears hit in the chest and falls to the ground. Another, who has a gun, is hit in the arm and runs away.
Mr. Rittenhouse’s rifle fire is mixed with the sound of at least 16 other rifles sounding during this time.
Police response
When this happens, police vehicles stop just one block away from the fireworks.
Mr. Rittenhouse walks with his hands up to the police cars. Circumstances call the officers that he just shot people.
The police drive by him without stopping, on their way to help the victims.
After the shootings, local officials announced that a 7-hour clock would continue until Sunday. And the governor of Wisconsin, Tony Evers, said he still sent hundreds of members of the state National Guard to Kenosha.
Katie G. Nelson, Robin Stein, Evan Hill and Julie Bosman contributed reporting. Whitney Hurst contributed production.
