An armed man with an assault rifle has been linked to at least two shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night as protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake took a violent turn.
One man was allegedly shot in the head directly across the street from a hospital in Kenosha by the man. Video footage shared on Twitter shows multiple shots ring out outside an auto body shop before an armed individual wearing an olive green t-shirt is seen fleeing from the scene.
"He shot him!", witnesses can be heard saying in the video clip before a man takes off his shirt and bends down to assist the victim, who is on the ground between two parked vehicles. "Put pressure on it," one of them can be heard saying before they apply pressure on the gunshot wound on the side of his head with a piece of clothing.
The armed individual was reportedly a member of the far-right extremist Boogaloo movement and was defending a car dealership when he opened fire on the rioter who was attempting to burn the dealership down.
Blows Protester's Arm Off, Shoots Another in Stomach
In a separate video, the citizen is seen running down Sheridan Road with his assault rifle as he is chased by a mob of protesters. One of the demonstrators attacks the man and moments later he trips and falls on the ground.
He fires multiple shots at the protesters as they try to disarm him. One of them is stuck in the chest before he collapses on the ground while another is shot through his arm. The man then tries to turn himself in but the police do not take him into custody:
"F–k, I need a medic!" the man says as he screams in pain in another video clip shared on the micro-blogging platform showing the extent of damage done to the man's arm. (WARNING: the video contains graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised).
Militia Members Working With Police?
According to reports, two of the protesters who were shot by the man succumbed to their injuries. Kenosha police and the FBI claim they are actively looking for the shooter.
However, cell phone footage shows Kenosha police telling militia members, including the shooter, that they "appreciate them being there" over their PA system and giving them bottles of water while protesters can be heard being told to disperse in the background. Another video shows a militia member saying cops told them they would drive protesters towards them so they can "deal with them" and then leave.
The shooter was later identified as Kyle Rittenhouse by social media users who tracked down his Facebook profile, which contained posts declaring his support for the Blue Lives Matter movement.
The shooting came on the third night of violent protests that have torn through Kenosha after a police officer shot Blake from behind at close range while he was getting in a vehicle. Since then, buildings have been burned, windows smashed out and stores looted.
