A man who contributed to Kyle Rittenhouse’s bail says he’s been the target of threats.
Ricky Schroder — who acted in the 80s sitcom “Silver Spoons” — reportedly called authorities on Sunday (Nov. 22) with claims that he’d been threatened by social media users after his role in Rittenhouse’s release was revealed. Officers arrived at his home, read the posts and ultimately determined that “none of the online comments rose to the level of a criminal threat.”
That same day, the actor posted a photo of himself with a gun in hand alongside screenshots of some of the social media reactions to him helping bail the 17-year-old shooter out of prison. “To my Democrat Friends. This is the country want to live in?” he captioned the photo on his Twitter account. On Instagram, his caption read, “I think you better bring your big boy pants.”
Rittenhouse is the gunman behind the fatal shootings at a August demonstration demanding justice for Jacob Blake. Video footage from the night showed the teen opening fire into a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters and admitting he shot someone shortly after. He was charged with murder, and his bail was set at $2 million bail, which a few of his supporters helped pay.
After his client was released, Rittenhouse’s attorney Lin Wood expressed his gratitude for all the donors, specifically thanking Schroder for his contribution. The tweet sparked online backlash from those suprised to see the actor helped free the teen from custody.
Despite the critique, however, Schroder defended his decision and explained his belief that Rittenhouse is “innocent.”
“It made me mad. This boy is innocent and he will be proven innocent,” he told the New York Post. “I did what any father should’ve done, and that’s get a kid out of jail that doesn’t deserve to be there… This was Kyle’s life being destroyed… This is his freedom at risk. It infuriated me to see an innocent 17-year-old young man being tried and found guilty before trial.”