Crime & Safety
Rittenhouse Judge Denies Motion To Drop 2 Charges
The judge also ruled Thursday there was sufficient evidence to bind Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, over for trial.
KENOSHA COUNTY, WI — A Wisconsin judge found probable cause Thursday that Kyle Rittenhouse likely committed several felonies related to the August shootings that left two people dead and a third wounded during protests in the streets of Kenosha.
During the preliminary hearing, Kenosha County Judge Loren Keating ruled there was sufficient evidence to bind the case over for trial. Appearing with a mask on in the office of his lawyer, Mark Richards, Rittenhouse, 17, remained silent throughout the hearing, which was held over Zoom.
The most serious charges that could be considered at trial, first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide, relate to the fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse also faces a charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide regarding allegations he shot and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, Wisconsin.
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If convicted solely on the first-degree intentional homicide charge, Rittenhouse would face life in prison, according to the criminal complaint.
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On Thursday, Keating denied a motion filed by Richards to dismiss two other counts, first-degree recklessly endangering safety and possession of a dangerous weapon. Keating stated arguments surrounding whether the gun offense or if Rittenhouse recklessly endangered the safety of Richard McGinnis, who authorities say was "in the line of fire" when Rosenbaum was shot, were meant for a jury to decide at trial.
Richards claimed Rittenhouse did not intend to harm or endanger McGinnis, who was identified by police as a reporter, and who interviewed Rittenhouse around the same time Rosenbaum confronted him. A chase followed, and McGinnis was slightly behind Rosenbaum, and “in the line of fire,” when Rittenhouse fired his gun — he told police he thought he'd been shot after feeling something on his leg, according to the criminal complaint.
“When you discharge the firearm in a crowded environment … that is inherently dangerous,” Keating said.
Rittenhouse, who is currently free on bail, is next expected in court in Kenosha County on Jan. 5, 2021.
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