LAKE COUNTY, Ill. — The 17-year-old accused of killing two protesters and injuring another during demonstrations over the summer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will not face charges in Illinois, officials announced Tuesday.
Antioch police arrested Kyle Rittenhouse on Aug. 26 to face charges in the deaths of Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36. An investigation launched by police found that the gun used in the Aug. 25 shooting was bought, stored and used in Wisconsin.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the evidence to determine if any crimes had been committed in the county.
“There is no evidence the gun was ever physically possessed by Kyle Rittenhouse in Illinois,” officials said Tuesday in a news release.
Rittenhouse, of Antioch, remains held in a juvenile detention center in Lake County without bond due to pending charges in Kenosha. He’s expected to appear in court on Oct. 30 for an extradition hearing.
His arrest has become a rallying point for some on the right, with a legal defense fund that has attracted millions of dollars in donations. Others see Rittenhouse as a domestic terrorist whose presence with a rifle incited the protesters.
Defense attorneys have portrayed Rittenhouse as a courageous patriot who was exercising his right to bear arms during unrest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
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