MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Kyle Rittenhouse arrested for shooting 3 Kenosha protesters, Internet asks 'which MS-13 gang does he belong to?'

Rittenhouse, 17, was armed with an AR-15, from Antioch, Illinois, and crossed state lines to guard the businesses during Kenosha protests

A 17-year-old named Kyle Rittenhouse has been charged with homicide after two protesters were shot dead and one was injured during a protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

He was armed with an AR-15, from Antioch, Illinois, and crossed state lines to guard the businesses during Kenosha protests and he later shot down three people from the same rifle. He was then arrested at around 5 am on August 26 in Antioch, where he lives in an apartment complex with his mother. He was taken into custody as a fugitive from justice, wanted for first-degree intentional homicide in Kenosha.

Protesters from Wisconsin and surrounding states took to the streets over the past three days, enraged over the shooting of Jacob Blake and Black people dying at the hands of the cops. The protests took place after Jacob was shot 7 times by cops on August 23, 2020.

As soon as the news of Rittenhouse's arrest broke on Twitter, people started taking a jibe at Rep Matt Gaetz's RNC 2020 statement where he said that electing Joe Biden will result in a 'horror' and said, "They’ll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite MS-13 to live next door." One Internet user mocked the statement and said, "Yes. Just as they amplify garbage like 'MS-13 is gonna move in next door to you' while downplaying the fact that people like Kyle Rittenhouse are already there." While another one said, "Are we sure Kyle Rittenhouse wasn’t part of MS-13?" Some even said, "I’d rather live next to an MS-13 member than a Kyle Rittenhouse. #DomesticTerrorism #TrumpsAmeriKKKa"

While another one called it a problem and said, "A 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. He was charged with murder for killing two civil rights protesters. He's not an immigrant. He's not ISIS. He's not MS-13. He's not 'antifa.' He is yet ANOTHER homegrown domestic terrorist with an assault rifle. WE HAVE A PROBLEM A WALL WON'T FIX."

While some questioned saying, "Not sure if in reality, Jacob had a knife in his car... But #KyleRittenhouse go to from Illinois to Wisconsin w. a AK-47 and killed two people and the Police gave him water and let him go back to his house in Illinois where he was arrested...." Another one said, "If Kyle Rittenhouse were Black, cops would've shot him until they ran out of bullets, if he were Latinx, Trump would be screaming about sealing the border, and if he were Muslim he'd be bombing Iran. #whiteterrorism."

Some angry users commented saying, "Kyle Rittenhouse shoots three people, killing two and wounding the other, and is met with praise, support and funding from the alt-right. Absolutely disgusting and astounding." Another user shared a video of the incident and said, "WATCH VIDEO! Kyle Rittenhouse 17 years old from Antioch, IL shoots a man in the head with an AR-15 & kills him in Kenosha. He also shot 2 more people killing 2. Evades street justice by running toward cops with an AR-15 AND the Police just let him go!"

Rittenhouse's Facebook page was deactivated on August 26 morning after he appeared in the court. His account showed his repeated homage to law enforcement including a snap of him with a long-arm rifle and framed with the “Blue Lives Matter” logo. In some of the posts shared by him, he honored the police officers who died in the line of duty. According to the Chicago Tribune, he has a yearslong affiliation with local police cadet programs, with photographs on social media showing him in full uniform complete with a badge, arm patch and trooper-style campaign hat.