Norfolk Police Official Lauds Wisconsin Shooting Suspect: Report

NORFOLK, VA — A data breach at a Christian crowdfunding website shows that a Norfolk police officer not only helped pay for accused Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooter Kyle Rittenhouse's legal defense, but sent him a message praising him for his "courage," according to reports.

The police officer's donation was reportedly attached to his official Norfolk Police Department email address, raising questions about the use of public resources in supporting such campaigns, The Guardian reported Friday.

One donation for $25, made on Sept. 3, 2020, was made anonymously, but associated with the official email address for Sgt. William Kelly, who currently serves as the executive officer of internal affairs in the Norfolk Police Department.

Rittenhouse is accused of shooting and killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, with an AR-style rifle at an Aug. 25, 2020, protest sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left paralyzed. Rittenhouse is also accused of wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 26. Rittenhouse was 17-years-old at the time he is suspected of killing the men.

Rittenhouse is charged with two counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted homicide. He also faces charges of reckless endangerment and possessing a weapon while under the age of 18. Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The data breach at the crowdfunding site, shared with journalists by transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, revealed the details of some donors who had previously attempted to conceal their identities using GiveSendGo’s anonymity feature, but whose identifying details the website preserved, according to The Guardian.

GiveSendGo, a website that previously raised money for Christian missionaries, is now being used as a hub for far-right crowdfunding projects and fundraising to support the conspiracy theories of former President Donald Trump.

Rittenhouse was celebrated across conservative media in 2020 for shooting the protesters and was supported by Trump. A fundraiser on GiveSendGo, described as a contribution to his legal defense, raised $586,940 between Aug. 27, 2020, and Jan. 7.

RELATED: Rittenhouse Trial Delayed At Least 7 Months

According to The Guardian, Kelly, the Norfolk police officer, included a comment as part of his donation that read, “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership,” Kelly wrote.

Kelly has worked for the Norfolk Police Department for more than 18 years, beginning as a patrol officer in August 2002 before getting promoted to executive officer of the internal affairs department in March, according to his LinkedIn page. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2001 with a degree in political science and legal studies.

According to the criminal complaint, Rittenhouse, who described himself as a militia member, shot and killed Rosenbaum in a parking lot after Rosenbaum chased him and tried to grab his gun.

Rittenhouse then began running slowly down the street, but tripped and fell as a crowd began to follow him. While he was on the ground, Huber approached him with a skateboard in one hand and reached for Rittenhouse’s gun with the other. Rittenhouse fired one round that hit Huber in the chest and killed him.

Rittenhouse sat up and pointed his gun at Grosskreutz, who took a step back but then moved toward Rittenhouse. He fired a shot that hit Grosskreutz in the arm.

Video footage then showed Rittenhouse approaching police vehicles with his hands raised. Several vehicles passed him after he waved toward the first. A voice can be heard yelling, "Hey, he just shot them! Hey, dude right here just shot them!" Another voice on a police loudspeaker is heard saying, "Someone injured, straight ahead."

The Kenosha police did not stop or arrest Rittenhouse at the time. He ultimately returned to his hometown of nearby Antioch, Illinois, where he was later arrested.

The Norfolk Police Department had not responded to a request for comment at the time this article was published.