Gaige Grosskreutz: Man shot by Kyle Rittenhouse wants leak of sealed 'name change' petition investigated
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: The sole survivor out of the three men shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during 2020 Kenosha protests wants to change his name. Gaige Grosskreutz filed a secret petition to change his legal name on September 27 stating that he has “received death threats" in these two years.
According to Insider, in a statement via his lawyer, Grosskreutz said, "Yes, after two years of death threats from right-wing lunatics I made the difficult decision to change my name for the protection of me and my family." However, he has called for an investigation by the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court on how this sealed petition was leaked to a conservative news outlet Kenosha County Eye, who published the story on September 28. The outlet is run by Kevin Mathewson, the man behind organizing a group to protect the city during the protests via Facebook.
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Commenting further on name change, Grosskreutz said, "But the real story here isn't that I am seeking to change my name, but that a process that is supposed to protect and shield those in danger was undermined and sealed information was released to the right-wing media within hours of my filing." Seeking justice, Grosskreutz said, "I was told that my filing was confidential. I demand that the court investigate how this was leaked to ensure that those seeking protection in the future receive the protection to which they are entitled. On Tuesday, I was denied that protection." Kimberley Motley, Grosskreutz's attorney, has requested records of those who had access to the petition between the time it was filed, around 3.30 pm and 8.30 pm. The attorney believes Mathewson was made aware of the filing, states Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The 29-year-old Grosskreutz was shot in the arm by the then 17-year-old Rittenhouse on Sheridan Road in Kenosha on August 25, 2020, just after Rittenhouse shot dead two Black Lives Matter protesters — Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber — with the same AR-15-style rifle. The violence came on the third night of protests. Grosskreutz had told CNN in September 2020 that he and his family members — including his 65-year-old grandmother — were receiving death threats from supporters of Rittenhouse.
In the homicide trial of Rittenhouse, Grosskreutz appeared in court on November 8, 2021, and said that he thought he was going to die. He told the jury he attended the Kenosha protests because he was a trained EMT and paramedic and believed he could provide medical services to anyone injured. Rittenhouse, who had pleaded not guilty at his trial, was subsequently acquitted on November 19, 2021, after arguing he acted in self-defense.