Rittenhouse victim calls teen an ‘active shooter’ in homicide trial

‘To me, it seemed like a child who just got caught doing something that he wasn’t supposed to’

Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with murdering two people and wounding another during a racial justice protest in Kenosha last year, was mostly upset during the trial because “he was caught” for shooting, said survivor Gaige Grosskreutz.

“To me, it seemed like a child who just got caught doing something that he wasn’t supposed to — more upset that he was caught and less upset about what he had done and what he had taken and the numerous lives that he affected through his actions that night,” Mr Grosskreutz said.

A paramedic, Mr Grosskreutz, 27, was the only survivor of the three people that Mr Rittenhouse shot on 25 August 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a night of unrest after police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back. The two dead victims were Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26.

Mr Rittenhouse is facing six criminal charges including first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide. He has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Grosskreutz said it was “emotional” to watch his “would-be murderer” testifying about the attack, according to ABC News.

His lawyer, Kimberly Motley said that the teen should be recognised as an “active shooter” as she pointed out that some of his testimony was “inconsistent”.

“You know, he was not, I believe, in imminent fear of danger for his own life,” she said. “People need to pay attention to the inconsistent statements from the active shooter or the defendant.”

On Wednesday, Mr Rittenhouse broke down crying during his testimony in which he insisted that he acted in self-defense and “didn’t do anything wrong”. He told the court that he was protecting a private property in Kenosha and providing first aid before he shot fatally at his two victims.

Mr Grosskreutz, who was offering medical services at the time, told the court on 8 November that though he was holding a pistol, he pointed it at the accused only when he saw the teenager raise his rifle at him.

“I was never trying to kill the defendant,” Mr Grosskreutz testified. “In that moment, I was trying to preserve my own life. But doing so while also taking the life of another is not something that I’m capable of or comfortable doing.”

Mr Grosskreutz said he wants people to remember that “Rittenhouse was an active shooter,” according to ABC News. “I think the most important thing to remember is that Kyle Rittenhouse was an active shooter. He murdered two men, and he attempted to murder me,” Mr Grosskreutz said.