Antioch, Illinois, police identified the suspect Wednesday as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse.
In Grayslake, Illinois – about 10 miles from Antioch and 30 miles from Kenosha – Police Chief Phillip L. Perlini said the suspect in the shooting was a former Cadet for Public Safety.
That program is described online as offering youth the opportunity to pursue careers in law enforcement. Due to the age and constitutional law of the person, the chief said the department could not comment further.
He was arrested Wednesday and charged with premeditated first-degree murder, Antioch police said in a news release. He remains in custody under the Lake County Judicial System pending extradition to Wisconsin, the release said.
He is accused in one single shooting, during a night of unrest Tuesday in which two people were killed and a third was seriously injured, Kenosha police said.
Police have not said who is responsible for committing all the shootings, and they have not given details about the incident that Rittenhouse is accused of.
Videos circulating on social media show a person with a long pistol walking down a street, followed by a crowd. The individual falls to the ground and appears to have started shooting. Several shots are heard.
What his social media shows
Online profiles apparently belonging to the suspect portrayed a young white man with an affinity for guns, who is pro-police and a supporter of the president.
A video posted on a Snapchat account believed to belong to the suspect posted him at the scene of protests Tuesday night. The clips show a few seconds from the point of view of someone who has a long gun and police announcements can be heard over speakers.
In videos posted on a TikTok account, individuals can be seen participating in target practice and assembling a long gun.
Rittenhouse also posted a short video of a Trump rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on one of his TikTok accounts this year. President Donald Trump is not featured in the video.
Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway has responded to reports that the alleged shooter was accused of killing at least one person in Wisconsin who allegedly attended a Trump rally in January. Conway said she was aware of the media reports, but that the White House was “not responsible for the private conduct of people going to meetings.”
Sheriff says he was asked to deputize citizens
In a news conference after the shooting, Sheriff County Beth Kenosha David said he had received requests from community members to deputize citizens to assist police in responding to the protests.
“What happened last night? […] was probably the perfect reason why I would not, “said Beth. Once I deputies, they fall under the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin. “
The sheriff said deputies of citizens would be a liability to him, the province and the state.
“A group wanted me to deputize people who carried guns, this person had a gun,” Beth said, referring to the suspect who was arrested for the shooting.
“He could be a part of it.”
In a statement, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul condemned the violence.
He said the community deserved a chance to heal and called for “heavily armed guards, arsonists, and other opportunists” who came to Kenosha to “encourage chaos” to leave.
“If those who engage in violence and destruction of property believe they are promoting a somewhat broader purpose, they are wrong,” Kaul said.
References to “Blue Lives Matter” appear on the Facebook profile of Rittenhouse and TikTok bio.
In a post on December 22, 2018, he said that for his birthday he asked for donations for a non-profit called “Humanizing the Badge”, along with a post that said the group sought to forge stronger relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities that serve them. ”
CNN’s Alexandra Meeks and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.
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