Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed two people during an anti-police-brutality demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020. Rittenhouse, then 17, had traveled across state lines with an AR-15 rifle to answer a far-right call for "patriots willing to take up arms and defend [our] City tonight from the evil thugs."
Rittenhouse was found not-guilty of the murders for reasons of self-defense, and has since been lionized as a Republican folk hero, but his legal troubles aren't over, according to Law & Crime. The estate for one of the men that Rittenhouse killed, Joseph Rosenbaum, filed a lawsuit against Rittenhouse, the Kenosha County Sheriff, the Kenosha Police Department, and other individuals for wrongful death.
The lawsuit portrays the police as coordinating with and endorsing the actions of Rittenhouse and other armed civilians during the protests, rather than stopping their unlawful behavior. It alleges that the police department "deputized these armed individuals, conspired with them, and ratified their actions" during the protest and claims the police were aware of the armed individuals like Rittenhouse and "encouraged and enabled illegal behavior" by allowing them to patrol the streets. It also alleges that Rittenhouse's actions were "rash, negligent, and reckless" leading to Rosenbaum's death who was unarmed and did not pose a threat to Rittenhouse. Furthermore, it says Rittenhouse acted as a vigilante and his conduct was "unnecessary, unjustified, and unlawful."
"These lawsuits are making it harder and harder for me to move on with my life," Rittenhouse told the far-right Texas Scorecard blog in response to the lawsuit. "It is extremely difficult to go outside without fear of being harassed or assaulted because of the lies spread in these lawsuits. No one should have to continue to defend the fact that they acted in self-defense."
