The rifle Kyle Rittenhouse used to shoot three men in self-defense during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020, will be destroyed pursuant to a court agreement approved by a judge on Friday.
SO WHAT
It looks like Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of all charges in his murder trial in November, wants to move on. Will America let him?
WHAT HAPPENED
Rittenhouse, 19, consented to the agreement approved by Judge Bruce Schroeder, the Kenosha County judge who presided over his trial, The Associated Press reported.
David Hancock, a spokesman for Rittenhouse, said last week the teen wanted the rifle destroyed so it wouldn’t be exploited as a political symbol or celebration of the shootings.
- After the hearing, Rittenhouse’s attorney Mark Richards told reporters “lots of people” had reached out about purchasing the firearm.
- In mid-January, Richards filed a motion seeking the return of Rittenhouse’s gun and other items he had in his possession on the night of the shooting.
- According to Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, the state crime lab would likely destroy the rifle sometime in April.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR KYLE
During his headline-grabbing case, Rittenhouse was demonized by liberals and hailed as a hero on the right.
- A whirlwind conservative media tour followed the Illinois teen’s acquittal.
- Rittenhouse got a raucous reception at Turning Point USA’s “America Fest,” was interviewed by Fox News host Tucker Carlson and posed for photos with none other than former President Donald Trump.
But Rittenhouse has given indications he would prefer to avoid the limelight.
- In December, he told a conservative podcaster who praised him for killing two protesters during the riots in Kenosha that it was “nothing to be congratulated about.”
- In a local news interview shortly after his acquittal, Rittenhouse said he just wanted “to be a normal 18-year-old college student.”