Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting two people during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, will not face gun charges in his home state of Illinois. The Lake County State's Attorney's Office investigated the case and found no evidence that Rittenhouse possessed the AR-15 rifle in Illinois.
"To that end, the investigation revealed the gun used in the Kenosha shooting was purchased, stored, and used in Wisconsin. Additionally, there is no evidence the gun was ever physically possessed by Kyle Rittenhouse in Illinois," the State's Attorney's Office said in a statement.
They did not say how he came into possession of the rifle in Wisconsin. In August, Rittenhouse's lawyer, Lin Wood, tweeted that the gun belonged to a friend who lived in Wisconsin.
Rittenhouse remains locked up in a juvenile detention facility in Illinois due to pending criminal charges in Kenosha. The teen is facing six charges, including two felony counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one misdemeanor count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
Rittenhouse is scheduled to appear in court on October 30 for an extradition hearing. His lawyers are fighting the extradition, arguing that he should not face charges because it is a clear-cut case of self-defense.
"By allowing extradition, Illinois would violate Rittenhouse's Fourth Amendment right to be free from arrest and detention without probable cause because there is video evidence showing without a shadow of a doubt Rittenhouse's actions were self-defense," they wrote in a legal filing.
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