Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen accused of killing two and wounding one at a Black Lives Matter protest in Wisconsin, has garnered a ton of online attention since the incident. Internet sleuths have put in overtime digging up details of the teen’s past — with some potentially troubling results. Two videos, in particular, have gained attention for allegedly showing Rittenhouse punching a young girl during a brawl with other teens.
Bystanders reportedly captured the footage on July 1, weeks before the shooting. The first video shows several teens apparently engaged in a verbal dispute. Tensions appear to rise gradually until violence breaks out among the teens. In the commotion, a boy with red, white and blue shorts — believed to be Rittenhouse — can be seen repeatedly punching a young girl.
A second video of the incident shows bystanders intervene in the brawl. A group of young men surround and grapple with the boy as one asks, “Why’d you put your hands on a female?”
Is It Really Him?
It has not yet been officially confirmed that the boy in the videos is Rittenhouse. According to Snopes, the men who submitted the footage did so after he made the news, allegedly recognizing him from the incident. Both men reportedly believe that the boy in the footage is Rittenhouse.
However, Snopes pointed out that Rittenhouse doesn’t actually live in Kenosha, where the footage was taken, but in another town 20 miles away.
Still, the outlet pointed to some evidence that suggests that it is Rittenhouse in the footage. Many social media users noted a strong resemblance between the boy in the videos and pictures of the shooter.
Eagle-eyed viewers also noticed the boy in the video wearing distinctive American-flag-patterned Crocs. A widely-circulated picture of Rittenhouse holding a rifle shows him wearing the exact same style of shoe as the boy in the video.
Further exploration of Rittenhouse’s social media has revealed a right-wing teen who idolizes the police. Several posts and images from the boy’s accounts express support for the Blue Lives Matter movement, which emerged in opposition to Black Lives Matter.
Photo: Twitter
Rittenhouse is apparently an ardent Trump supporter as well, even attending the president’s rally in Des Moines, Iowa back in February.
The teen is currently being held by authorities on charges of homicide, attempted homicide, endangerment and underage possession of a firearm.
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