Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse says he used stimulus money to buy a rifle


Kyle Rittenhouse wasn't old enough to have bought the rifle he allegedly used to shoot three people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two. But as he tells The Washington Post, and as court charges back up, he had an older friend buy the weapon using money Rittenhouse got from a government stimulus program.
As part of an investigation into what went on in Kenosha that August night, the Post talked to Rittenhouse for his first public interview, as well as his mother. Both of them fully defend Rittenhouse's actions that night, with Rittenhouse telling the Post he doesn't regret having a gun as protests went on in Kenosha. "I feel I had to protect myself, I would've died that night if I didn't," Rittenhouse said. Rittenhouse's mother similarly said video shows the 17-year-old acted in "self defense."
Kariann Swart, the fiancée of Joseph Rosenbaum, one of the men Rittenhouse allegedly killed, disagrees. "I don't think there's any sort of self-defense when there's an unarmed person in front of you, and you're holding an assault rifle two feet away," she told the Post. Still, Swart questions why Rosenbaum — who was just discharged from a psychiatric hospital — was "down there" at all.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rittenhouse is also charged with killing Anthony Huber, and seriously injuring Gaige Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse's lawyers say he plans to plead not guilty to all charges. Watch the Post's whole investigation below. Kathryn Krawczyk
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
AI is creating a luxury housing renaissance in San Francisco
Under the Radar Luxury homes in the city can range from $7 million to above $20 million
-
How carbon credits could help and hurt the climate
The explainer The credits could be allowing polluters to continue polluting
-
5 tips for building a healthy skincare routine for tweens and teens
The Week Recommends Social media is pushing overly elaborate routines for young skin
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
-
2 Israel Embassy staff shot dead at DC Jewish museum
speed read The suspected gunman chanted 'free, free Palestine'
-
Bombing of fertility clinic blamed on 'antinatalist'
speed read A car bombing injured four people and damaged a fertility clinic and nearby buildings in Palm Springs, California