Authorities: Antioch teen obtained rifle used in Kenosha shootings in Wisconsin
The rifle used by Antioch teen Kyle Rittenhouse in the killing of two men and wounding of another during protests in Kenosha was "purchased, stored and used" in Wisconsin, Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim announced Tuesday.
An Antioch police investigation found no evidence that Rittenhouse, 17, possessed the AR-15 rifle in Illinois before the Aug. 25 shootings, according to a statement issued by Nerheim's office.
Nerheim spokesman Lee Filas said no additional details about the police findings would be released because of an ongoing investigation by Wisconsin authorities.
The state's attorney's office reviewed the police investigation to determine if any crimes were committed in Lake County.
Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said his officers took possession of the AR-15 rifle and another gun at about 4:30 or 5 a.m. Aug. 26, hours after Rittenhouse turned himself in. Guttschow said the guns were in a vehicle belonging to an adult acquaintance of Rittenhouse, which was parked near the 17-year-old's home.
Guttschow said investigators determined the weapons were not unlawfully purchased in Illinois, based on information Kenosha police received from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and interviews conducted with people who knew where the weapons were purchased. Guttschow declined to release more information about how investigators believe Rittenhouse acquired the weapons.
Rittenhouse faces first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and other charges in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz.
The shootings took place during protests that erupted after a Kenosha police officer shot a Black man, 29-year-old Jacob Blake, in the back during an Aug. 23 confrontation.
If convicted of the most serious charges, Rittenhouse could spend the rest of his life in prison. He is held without bail at the Minard E. Hulse Juvenile Detention Center near Vernon Hills while his attorneys fight his extradition to Wisconsin.