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Kyle Rittenhouse vows to 'prove my innocence again' after the man he shot in Kenosha sues for damages

Gaige Grosskreutz said he will sue Rittenhouse for 'damages for emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and other pain'

BY ARUNAVA CHAKRABARTY

PUBLISHED FEB 22, 2023

Kyle Rittenhouse is being sued by Gaige Grosskreutz (Mark Hertzberg-Pool/Getty Images and Sean Krajacic - Pool/Getty Images)

KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: Kyle Rittenhouse was only 17 years old when he shot three men, two fatally, during the civil unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020. A jury found him not guilty of murder and all other charges at his trial in November 2021. Rittenhouse, now 20, claimed that he acted in self-defense and has vowed to "prove my innocence again" after the survivor he shot in 2020 sued him for "emotional distress and humiliation".

Gaige Grosskreutz previously testified that Rittenhouse had pointed a gun at him and shot him during the riots and said that he will sue Rittenhouse for "damages for emotional distress, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, and other pain and suffering on all claims." Grosskreutz "must live with the physical and emotional wounds inflicted by Defendant Rittenhouse and the Defendants who deputized and enabled him," the lawsuit says, according to Daily Mail.

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It claims that "the law enforcement Defendants deputized these armed individuals, conspired with them, and ratified their actions by letting them patrol the streets, armed with deadly weapons, to mete out justice as they saw fit."

KENOSHA, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Rittenhouse looks back as attorneys discuss items in the motion for mistrial presented by his defense during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on November 17, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse is accused of shooting three demonstrators, killing two of them, during a night of unrest that erupted in Kenosha after a police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back while being arrested in August 2020. Rittenhouse, from Antioch, Illinois, was 17 at the time of the shooting and armed with an assault rifle. He faces counts of felony homicide and felony attempted homicide. (Sean Krajacic - Pool/Getty Images)

'Will prove my innocence again'

Rittenhouse told Fox News, "I guess it came as a shock to why he's filing a lawsuit because he admitted that he pointed a gun in my face and that he chased me down." He said that it would come with heavy consequences but said he was ready to prove his innocence "again". This news comes only weeks after the father of Anthony Huber, who was shot and killed by Rittenhouse during the protests filed a "wrongful death" lawsuit against Rittenhouse, alleging he conspired with police to target protesters.

KENOSHA, WI - AUGUST 24: A man looks over caution tape during a second night of rioting on August 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The civil unrest occurred after the shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, on August 23. Blake was shot multiple times in the back by Wisconsin police officers after attempting to enter into the drivers side of a vehicle. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

What happened during the protest?

Gaige Grosskreutz was among protestors in Kenosha on 25 August 2020, which was triggered following the fatal shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by the police. Blake was shot four times in the back on 23 August and left paralyzed from the waist down.

KENOSHA, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 10: Kyle Rittenhouse breaks down on the stand as he testifies about his encounter with the late Joseph Rosenbaum during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on November 10, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse is accused of shooting three demonstrators, killing two of them, during a night of unrest that erupted in Kenosha after a police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back while being arrested in August 2020. Rittenhouse, from Antioch, Illinois, was 17 at the time of the shooting and armed with an assault rifle. He faces counts of felony homicide and felony attempted homicide. (Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images)

Rittenhouse, then 17, had travelled from his Illinois home with the intention to protect businesses from rioters but came across Grosskreutz during the clash. Rittenhouse shot three men including Grosskreutz with his AR-15-style assault rifle during the unrest. Grosskreutz testified he was pointing his own gun at Rittenhouse before he was shot in the arm. He claimed that he had no intention of shooting Rittenhouse as he had his hands raised, holding the gun towards him.

KENOSHA, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 24: Police officers stand guard in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse during a second night of rioting on August 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rioting as well as clashes between police and protesters began Sunday night after a police officer shot Jacob Blake 7 times in the back in front of his three children. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The victims and their families have brought forward separate lawsuits since the jury announced its verdict. The lawsuit imposed by John Huber, father of protestor Anthony Huber, alleges Rittenhouse and other "counter-protestors" were "subject to a different set of rules and were allowed to move about freely in areas controlled" by law enforcement.

President Biden's response

President Biden said he was "angry and concerned" after he came out after the decision but also acknowledged the jury's decision. "I stand with the jury as the jury system has concluded. The jury system works and you have to abide by it," he told reporters at the time.

Rittenhouse meanwhile has taken the advantage of his fame as he picked up a large following on his new shooting channel on YouTube.