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Kyle Rittenhouse: Kenosha shooting suspect receives $50,000 from gun rights group as legal defense fund

The funds came as a result of more than 1,000 donations made to the NFGR to benefit the 17-year-old Rittenhouse

The teenager accused of fatally shooting two people and injuring a third during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin has received more than $50,000 in donations from the National Foundation for Gun Rights (NFGR). The funds came as a result of more than 1,000 donations made to the NFGR to benefit 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, as the gun-rights group announced on Thursday, September 17 that it is depositing the check into Rittenhouse’s trust fund administered by one of his attorneys, Fox News reported.

"I spoke with Kyle's mother this morning to let her know NFGR received over 1,000 donations amounting to over $50,000 from folks who support her son," Dudley Brown, the foundation’s executive director, said in a press release. Meanwhile, Rittenhouse is remanded in custody at an Illinois jail, where he has been held since his arrest just days after the August 25 shooting.

According to Fox News, Wisconsin allows open-carry firearms but a person under 18 cannot legally possess or carry a firearm "unless that person is hunting or target-practicing with an adult or in the military." Speaking to the Daily Caller earlier on the day of the shooting, Rittenhouse said he was in Kenosha to help his friends guard a local car dealership and bring first-aid to people if they got hurt.

Just hours later, Rittenhouse, a former member of the police cadet program, opened fire (allegedly in self-defense) and killed  Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. A third victim Gaige Grosskreutz was also wounded in a series of encounters after the situation intensified, per a court complaint.

On the day of the protests, videos featuring witnesses yelling "He shot him!" went viral as protesters were seen bending down to assist the victim, who lay on the ground between two parked vehicles. They proceeded to apply pressure on the gunshot wound on the side of his head with a piece of clothing.

After the shooting, Rittenhouse reportedly threw his hands in the air and walked toward police vehicles. Police Chief Daniel Miskinis later said officers were dealing with a chaotic scene at the time and so couldn't apprehend him at the time. The 17-year-old, however, turned himself in and is now jailed on homicide charges. Prosecutors have deemed Rittenhouse's conduct as criminal, but his lawyers have argued that he was simply defending himself from an enraged mob that was trying to disarm and hurt him. His supporters, meanwhile, have hailed him as "a hero who stood up to lawlessness," per the report.

"We want Kyle to have the best defense possible,” Brown said in the NFGR release. “If he were getting a fair shake from prosecutors, he would be home with his family right now instead of spending weeks in a jail without bail.” According to the NFGR, video footage from that night shows the teenager “running for his life from an armed mob who were shouting, ‘Beat him up!' and 'Get that dude'!”

"The left is doing everything in their power to portray a 17-year-old kid as the villain," Brown continued. "We believe Kyle acted legally and defended himself from a dangerous group of armed thugs whose clear intent was to cause permanent harm." Rittenhouse's extradition hearing was originally scheduled for the end of August. However, it has now been postponed to September 25.