Deadly shootings took place during Tuesday night’s (Aug. 26) protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. According to Kenosha police, two people were fatally shot around 11:45 pm local time and another was shot in the arm, but is expected to survive.
Several Twitter users have shared video of the shootings and believe the white man wearing a green shirt and carrying a large rifle to be a 17-year-old named Kyle Rittenhouse. Facebook searches for Rittenhouse show that he is a “Blue Lives Matter” supporter and from Illinois. Police have only said that the gunman is part of an armed “vigilante” militia.
In the first video, shots ring out in a parking lot and a man is left lying on the ground with a head injury. The white man — allegedly Rittenhouse — can be seen running over to the victim with his rifle. He pulls out his phone and can be heard saying, “I just killed someone” as he flees the scene.
In a later clip, a large mob is seen chasing the armed man after the first shooting. The group begins throwing objects at him and he opens fire on the crowd. One person is seen lying on the ground after the second shooting.
The armed man then walks toward police with his arms in the air. However, the clip contains no footage of police disarming or detaining him. Instead, multiple police vehicles rush down the street to the gunshot victims.
A third video — which was said to be taken before the shootings — shows the man in the green shirt again, walking alongside the armed militia. Members of the reported militia are heard chatting with cops, who toss them water bottles and say they “appreciate” them.
The shooter’s identity has not yet been confirmed by authorities. A press release from the Kenosha Police Department notes that an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
Warning: the below videos are extremely graphic.