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A white supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement who was one of two men killed in Kenosha, Wis., earlier this week was seen in video taunting a group of armed men moments before he was shot in the head.
“Shoot me, n**ga,” Kenosha resident Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, says in confronting several armed men with a group of demonstrators behind him during what became the third day of rioting following the police-involved shooting of Jacob Blake, who is black.
**Warning: Racial language
It got recorded. pic.twitter.com/DgvbDJtRan
— Matt Johnson (@_DuxNet) August 27, 2020
In the video, one of the armed men who appears to be wearing a black baseball cap and tactical gear on his torso turns to face Rosenbaum, takes a few steps towards him but then walks by without incident.
Authorities in Wisconsin have arrested 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Ill., and have charged him with first-degree murder for allegedly killing Rosenbaum after shooting him five times, including in the head.
Rittenhouse is also charged with killing 26-year-old rioter Anthony Huber, as well as wounding a third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26.
L. Lin Wood, famed attorney who helped set up a legal defense for Rittenhouse, says the young man was initially attacked with “lethal force” and as such “had the right to defend himself,” the Daily Mail reported.
Independent journalist Andy Ngo reported that “video allegedly shows him chasing teen shooter & throwing something at him,” adding: “Rosenbaum was a registered sex offender for a sex crime involving a minor.”
The 3 shot (2 killed) in #Kenosha, Wisc. at the BLM riot have been identified.
Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, was the first one killed. Video allegedly shows him chasing teen shooter & throwing something at him. Rosenbaum was a registered sex offender for a sex crime involving a minor. pic.twitter.com/up1VgDyrgZ
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020
He also posted about Huber, noting “he was filmed chasing down the armed teen and hitting him when he was on the ground with a skateboard,” and adding, “He has a criminal history that includes charges of battery & repeat domestic abuse.”
Anthony Huber, 26, was shot & killed in Kenosha, Wisc. at the BLM riot. He was filmed chasing down the armed teen and hitting him when he was on the ground with a skateboard. He has a criminal history that includes charges of battery & repeat domestic abuse. #KenoshaRiots pic.twitter.com/1rvx7ltKKS
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020
In court records filed this week, Kenosha County prosecutors said that Rosenbaum was the first person shot by Rittenhouse around 11:45 p.m. They said that Rosenbaum followed Rittenhouse into a used car lot where he threw a plastic bag at the teen and attempted to wrest his rifle away from him.
In addition to his head wound, the county medical examiner also found that Rosenbaum had gunshot wounds to his groin, back, and left hand.
After his confrontation with Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse ran down a street after being chased by several more rioters. At one point, he lost his footing and was set upon by at least three people, one of whom was Huber, who struck him with a skateboard.
After he allegedly shot Huber, Rittenhouse appeared to train his rifle on Grosskreutz, who was charging at him with a handgun in his right hand. Rittenhouse allegedly fired a single shot, wounding Grosskreutz in his right arm.
Photos circulating online and via Getty clearly show Grosskreutz holding his gun. Ngo reported that Grosskreutz is a member of a group called the People’s Revolution, which stresses “non-violence” among other principles.
The third who was shot (& survived) is Gaige Grosskreutz, 26. He’s a member of the People’s Revolution Movement. He was filmed chasing after the teen w/a pistol. He was shot at close-range in the upper arm. He has a criminal record that includes being intoxicated & armed w/a gun. pic.twitter.com/U9Q3R7pcPH
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020
There are reasons to suspect the prosecutors’ version of events as well as the charges filed against Rittenhouse.
According to the Pierce Bainbridge law firm, there are videos and eyewitness accounts to substantiate Rittenhouse’s accounts. A statement issued by the firm noted that at one point during the evening of the shootings, Rittenhouse “was accosted by multiple rioters who recognized that he had been attempting to protect a business the mob wanted to destroy. This outraged the rioters and created a mob now determined to hurt Kyle. They began chasing him down.”
“Kyle attempted to get away, but he could not do so quickly enough. Upon the sound of a gunshot behind him, Kyle turned and was immediately faced with an attacker lunging towards him and reaching for his rifle,” the statement continued. “He reacted instantaneously and justifiably with his weapon to protect himself, firing and striking the attacker.”
**Warning: Strong language
A Molotov cocktail appears to have been thrown at the shooter in Kenosha before he fired at the first victim. https://t.co/DPVgjepDsb
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 26, 2020
Daily Caller reporter Richie McGinnis witnessed the shooting involving Rosenbaum and said that he, too, heard a shot before Rittenhouse turned and fired.
“What I saw was [the shooting “victim”] pursuing Rittenhouse, and Rittenhouse turned around. Right before he turned around, I’m not sure if this is the reason he turned around, but there was a gunshot. That’s actually visible on video,” he said.
One more detail calls into question the charges.
Ngo posted a Facebook entry by a friend of Grosskreutz said the wounded man regretting not killing Rittenhouse.
GRAPHIC: A friend of the man who rushed at the #Kenosha teen with a pistol and was shot in the arm has posted an update about his status. Doctors were able to save Gaige Grosskreutz’s right arm. The friend says Gaige regrets not being able to kill the teen. pic.twitter.com/2gJmnnroTF
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020
“[S]o] the kid shot gaige as he drew his weapon and gaige retreated with his gun in hand. I just talked to Gaige Grosskreutz too[]his only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him. Coward,” the friend, Jacob Marshall, said in response to another person.
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