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In the aftermath of last night’s looting, arson, and carnage in Kenosha, Wisconsin, all of the nation’s attention is now focused on 17-year old Kyle Rittenhouse, who allegedly shot three looters, killing two. Authorities arrested Rittenhouse in his Illinois home Wednesday, charging him with first-degree murder as an adult. A fair and honest look at the available evidence strongly suggests that these charges are not warranted. The authorities, in charging Rittenhouse with first-degree murder when all available evidence clearly points to self-defense, apparently desire to kneel before a frothing mob rather than ensure justice is served.
The charges against Rittenhouse reflect two separate shooting incidents. Both incidents were caught on video from multiple angles and clearly show that each shooting victim attacked Rittenhouse in a manner that could reasonably be construed as life-threatening.
In the first shooting incident, Rittenhouse shoots a rioter in the head after a mob of rioters rushed a car dealership that hadn’t been burned down during the previous night of looting. Rioters can be heard on video calling to burn down the dealership.
Here is video of the mob approaching Car Source.
Here is the shooting video at the dealership “Car Source” in Kenosha starting with footage moments before the shooting took place down the street
You can hear rioters saying they are “in route to car source” and one rioter calls to “burn inside”
Rioters were about to torch it pic.twitter.com/9x4FCUylyx
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) August 26, 2020
At one point, a man charges at Rittenhouse in a very menacing way. After running out of room to retreat, Rittenhouse opens fire multiple times, killing the man. Watch the graphic video:
BREAKING: RIOTER HAS BEEN SHOT IN THE HEAD pic.twitter.com/l1NYqUYpD3
— Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) August 26, 2020
Here is the man who is charging at Rittenhouse. You can clearly see that he is the man who is ultimately shot dead, marking Rittenhouse’s first victim.
In the next video, we see what happened in the first shooting from a different angle. This angle is even more exculpatory for Rittenhouse. Before charging at him, the looter who was shot dead appears to throw a Molotov cocktail at Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse can be seen retreating even more clearly in this video.
Watch:
A Molotov cocktail appears to have been thrown at the shooter in Kenosha before he fired at the first victim. pic.twitter.com/DPVgjepDsb
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 26, 2020
Here are the screenshots that show Rittenhouse’s victim flinging a Molotov cocktail at him while Rittenhouse retreats.
Here is yet another video with multiple simultaneous angles of the shooting event.
WATCH: A video sync of the Kyle Rittenhouse shooting in Kenosha, WI with multiple camera angles and object highlights. pic.twitter.com/61XMCdHcmK
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 26, 2020
Clearly, Rittenhouse is both in retreat, and has a reasonable expectation that his life is in danger. Both are conditions of reasonable self-defense in the state of Wisconsin.
Under Wisconsin state law, a person “is privileged … to use force against another for the purpose of preventing or terminating what the person reasonably believes to be an unlawful interference with his or her person by such other person.” In plainer terms, you can use force against another person if you reasonably believe force is necessary to prevent the imminent death or serious bodily injury of yourself or another.
The law does not require that you become injured before using self-defense. It doesn’t even require you to actually be in any danger. Instead, the law is all about what you reasonably believe under the circumstances. [Nicholson, Gansner & Otis, S.C.]
Although we at Revolver.news are not offering any legal opinion or advice, it certainly seems that Rittenhouse would have been reasonable to assume that a looter throwing a Molotov cocktail at him and then angrily charging directly at him constituted a serious, imminent threat. Furthermore, Rittenhouse had a gun and the looter could have reasonably been expected to take the gun upon charging him and wrestling him to the ground.
Available evidence from the second shooting incident provides an even clearer example of reasonable self-defense. In this case, as Rittenhouse retreats after the first shooting incident, more looters identify him as the possible first shooter and furiously pursue him, shouting “beat his ass.” Rittenhouse falls to the ground, and shoots a looter who was beating beat him with a skateboard. He then shoots another looter, who was attacking him while brandishing a pistol, in the arm.
Here is the video of the incident:
???: Multiple gunshots are fired after people chased a guy with a rifle. Rifle dude tripped and fell. He fired his gun at a guy who jumped on top of him. pic.twitter.com/BfV244MMnc
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 26, 2020
More video showing initial pursuit:
Shootout scene #Kenosha ?? pic.twitter.com/k24t92210H
— Simulation Warlord?? (@zerosum24) August 26, 2020
Here is the incident in ultra slow motion:
This as close and slow as you’re gonna find I think.
Skateboard guy attacks and gets shot. Guy approaching with hand gun out gets shot.
Self defense. pic.twitter.com/jDi987NAsF
— Jack Murphy ?? (@jackmurphylive) August 26, 2020
Again, we at Revolver.news are not offering legal advice, but if shooting members of a violent mob pursuing you — one of whom is beating you with a skateboard while you are down and the other brandishing a pistol at you — isn’t self-defense, it’s hard to say what is.
Video interviews from before the shooting that Rittenhouse was in Kenosha with anything but murderous intentions. He actually had a medic kit and was very active in tending to the wounded on the scene. He also expressed a desire to protect local businesses.
CONTEXT: I spoke with the alleged shooter earlier in the night who stated he was there to protect property
He did not make racist comments, condemn #BLM, or mention political motivations for his actions
He said that he was there to protect property & was carrying a firearm pic.twitter.com/ViYUB65tiy
— ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) August 26, 2020
CONTEXT: additional interview of the #KenoshaRiot shooter by reporter @RichieMcGinniss
Still no signs of malicious intentions, racist motivations, though he did understand the potential threat of being at this event, hence the firearm
pic.twitter.com/i9cCZ1gtrC— ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) August 26, 2020
Rittenhouse was also spotted cleaning up graffiti in the daytime, hours before the shooting event occurred, according to a Getty image captured here.
Will Rittenhouse be defended as the mob and media proceed to bury him? Ultimately, it is likely to be a question of courage in the face of relentless evil, and not a legitimate dispute over whether his actions could reasonably be considered self-defense. Thankfully, as Revolver News has reported, many conservatives are doing the right and brave thing and coming to Rittenhouse’s defense on the basis of the available evidence. From what we’ve seen so far, Kyle Rittenhouse did nothing wrong.
READ MORE: Conservatives Explode in Righteous Anger After Kenosha Announces Prosecution of Kyle Rittenhouse
Of course, it is deeply sad when anyone gets shot or killed. Every human life has inherent worth. It is worth concluding with a couple thoughts on the context which led to this sad outcome. First, although Kyle Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense and did nothing wrong, it probably wasn’t wise for him to patrol the streets with a gun in the first place. Quite simply, there is little good that can come out of a situation like that, and it was probably not the wisest thing for Rittenhouse to come into Kenosha from out of town even if his intentions were good.
Secondly, and most importantly, misguided young adults like Rittenhouse would have no reason to attempt to defend Kenosha against violent looters if the authorities whose job it is to do so had the will and the ability to stop the riots themselves. It is simply an absurd situation for this type of looting and violence to go on without any serious response.
Governor Tony Evers of Wisconsin is a fraud, a joke, and a disaster.
Only after bodies started piling up did the failed Democratic governor finally accept help from President Trump.
…TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020
We will see if the federal agents have the ability or the resolve to stop the looting and the violence. They cannot be everywhere at once. That’s why we have local police officers.
As Revolver has stated repeatedly, the only way to stop this once and for all is for Attorney General Barr to get serious, get tough, and start throwing real charges against the most egregious participants in these riots and their organizers. The time for tough talk is over. Now is time for action on the part of trained professionals whose job it is to restore peace and tranquility to the hard working citizens of Kenosha, and to the increasing number of disturbed American citizens who look at their cities burning and wonder who the hell is in charge.
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FLASHBACK: DOJ Deliberately Resists Pressing Charges as Portland Burns
READ MORE: Conservatives Explode in Righteous Anger After Kenosha Announces Prosecution of Kyle Rittenhouse
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