Kyle Rittenhouse verdict: Will Gaige Grosskreutz, Maurice Freeland and Joshua Ziminski be charged?
KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: Kyle Rittenhouse, who was facing a homicide trial, has been acquitted of all charges by the court on Friday, November 19. The 18-year-old was accused of killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and injuring 28-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz on August 25, 2020, as protests erupted in the town of Kenosha after Jacob Blake was shot seven times by a cop.
Though many disagreed with the verdict and called it a result of “white supremacy,” there were supporters of Rittenhouse who celebrated on Friday after the judgment was passed. Christian Ziegler, Vice Chairman, Florida GOP, took to Twitter after the verdict and shared: “Time for true justice… Kyle Rittenhouse ACQUITTED should mean: Gaige Grosskreutz charged with attempted murder & illegal conceal carry of a firearm. Maurice Freeland aka “jump kick man” charged with assault. Ziminski charged for shooting at Kyle.”
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Time for true justice…
— Christian Ziegler 🇺🇸 (@ChrisMZiegler) November 20, 2021
Kyle Rittenhouse ACQUITTED should mean: 👇🏼
👉🏼 Gaige Grosskreutz charged with attempted murder & illegal conceal carry of a firearm.
👉🏼 Maurice Freeland aka “jump kick man” charged with assault.
👉🏼 Ziminski charged for shooting at Kyle.
Will Gaige Grosskreutz, Maurice Freeland and Joshua Ziminski be charged?
Grosskreutz was allegedly injured by Rittenhouse’s assault rifle on the night of August 25 last year. During the trial of the teenager, he also took the stand and confessed to being in possession of a Glock pistol. But also added that he soon raised his hands after Rittenhouse pointed his rifle at him.
He had told the court, “I was never trying to kill the defendant. In that moment, I was trying to preserve my own life. But doing so while also taking the life of another is not something that I'm capable of or comfortable doing,” before adding, “In that moment, I felt that I had to do something to try to prevent myself from being killed or being shot. I decided the best course of action would be to close the distance between the defendant and I, and from there, I don't know ... wrestling the gun, detaining the defendant, I don't know ... I do know that I was never trying to kill the defendant.”
No charges have been filed against Grosskreutz yet. In fact, he and Huber’s parents have each filed $10 million negligence claims against Kenosha city and Kenosha County. Besides, the man has also sued city and county officials of illegally deputizing a “roving militia” of “white nationalist vigilantes.”
Another man who had an encounter with Rittenhouse was Maurice Freeland, also known as “jump kick man”. During the trial, a video was played in the court that showed the 39-year-old running at the teenager and kicking him soon after he fatally shot Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse also admitted to firing at Freeland, but he escaped any injury. “I thought if I were to be knocked out, he would have stomped my face in if I didn't fire,” the 18-year-old told the jurors.
Though no charges have been filed against Freeland yet regarding the August 2020 incident, it’s been said he already has a long criminal history, including charges for battery, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and other offenses.
Joshua Ziminski’s case is different from these two men as he’s facing serious charges in the Wisconsin court system because of his involvement in the August 2020 events. According to reports, he has already been charged with firing a gun into the air just before Rittenhouse shot three men. The 35-year-old is also facing arson of property other than a building, a felony, and disorderly conduct-use of a dangerous weapon charges.