Shooting In Kenosha – UPDATE 2

The third night of protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin has seen violence and property damage escalate into gunfire.

In the first incident, police used tear gas to clear people preparing to assault the courthouse shortly after 10:30 PM. In response, guns were fired; there is no indication any police retaliated, that any police were targeted, nor that anyone was struck.

Roughly an hour and a half later, at least three protesters were shot by a masked white male with a rifle. The first person was shot in the head; one of the subsequent victims was shot in the arm, and initial reports are that the arm will be lost. A police officer described the situation as “lots of people shot.”

Information is still coming out about the shooting, and police are currently seeking the shooter. This story will be updated in the morning as more information becomes available.

UPDATE: Two of the three victims of last night’s shooting are confirmed dead. The third’s injuries are not considered life-threatening. Police are looking for a suspect with a long gun.

A reporter from Kenosha News published the following account after talking to someone at the scene:

“Some guys were telling protesters to stop breaking windows of vehicles and they got mad and charged at a group of people with guns. One guy was shot in the head and appeared unresponsive. He was grabbed and rushed to the hospital that was across the street. “

This account is contradicted by some of the available evidence (three people were shot, not one.) More, multiple video accounts from various angles indicate that there was a repeated sequences of shots over the course of roughly thirty seconds – a considerable time in a firefight – which undermines self-defense arguments. Example video:

Wisconsin has no stand-your-ground laws. If able to safely leave a public area while being threatened, a person without granted police powers must leave. The timing delay of the shots and the deaths of two individuals strongly suggest this to be a case of murder. Other self-declared militia members present may be liable for accessory charges, as with any other gang violence.

There are also claims that the shooting was in defense of an auto repair shop. This claim is likely false on its face, as the police claim to have not yet identified the shooter. It is highly implausible the the lawful owner of any small property being defended could not be identified by law enforcement over the course of multiple hours.

UPDATE 2: A 17-year-old has been arrested as a fugitive suspect in the overnight shooting. He was taken into custody and is being held at the Lake County Juvenile Center in Illinois. His name, according to local investigative reporters, is Kyle Rittenhouse.

He has been arrested on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide, and an extradition hearing is scheduled for Friday. Video exists of the suspect talking with reporters and also of him walking away from the crime scene, past police who do not detain him.

Pro-Trump conspiracy site PrisonPlanet, founded by Alex Jones, has denounced the arrest, claiming in defiance of all available evidence and in contradiction of actual statues that Kyle acted in accordance with Wisconsin law. This will likely become the narrative for many Trump supporters:

TheRundownLive.com is a strongly pro-Trump current events site. They have since scrubbed the videos linked by Frederick Joseph and black activist Tariq Nasheed from their web site and Twitter feed. H/T to Jill Kent for bringing these to my attention:

Video is being presented across social media of police officers thanking Kyle’s group prior to the shooting, going so far as to provide them refreshment. The police then clear away others from the area, claiming it off limits to civilians while allowing the self-declared militia to maintain their presence.

Kenosha city leaders have asked the Governor for a large influx of law enforcement personnel, and the Governor has responded by authorizing an additional 500 Guard troops. President Trump has stated that he will be sending in Federal authorities, but as yet there has been no indication that Evers has agreed to that; if Trump sends the troops despite prior refusal of offers of aid, it will be another clear example of Trump’s authoritarianism, of the sort which caused an escalation of violence in Portland. The possibility exists that he will override the Governor as he did in Oregon, where the city’s proximity to a coastline was used as the legal rationale to dispatch law enforcement agents operating under the banner of immigration control.

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About AlienMotives 1991 Articles
Ex-Navy Reactor Operator turned bookseller. Father of an amazing girl and husband to an amazing wife. Tired of willful political blindness, but never tired of politics. Hopeful for the future.