Kyle Rittenhouse Charged With First-Degree Murder; Media Coverage Differs

On Thursday, Kenosha County charged 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse with first-degree homicide and a host of other charges after Rittenhouse allegedly killed two and wounded one with a rifle during protests over Sunday’s police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse was arrested on Wednesday; Antioch police said Rittenhouse was charged as an adult. He is currently being held without bail at the Lake County juvenile detention facility; a court hearing Friday will determine whether to extradite him to Wisconsin. Video clips from Tuesday have begun surfacing, which tell pieces of the story. Clips appear to show Rittenhouse among the fray with a rifle as shots are fired; from a different angle, videos show Rittenhouse being chased by people throwing heavy objects and attempting to kick him in the face. Clips from earlier in the day on Tuesday have surfaced showing Rittenhouse with a self-described "local militia" who volunteered to assist police during the protests. Hours before the shooting occurred, Rittenhouse told a Daily Caller reporter that his job was “to protect this business...and to help people. If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way, that's why I have my rifle.” Some coverage from right-rated outlets highlighted the fact that Rittenhouse was being chased -- a fact many mainstream media outlets omitted. Several Fox News commentators framed the local militia as "vigilante justice" whose actions "filled a need" to "maintain order"; though other voices from the right disagreed. Some voices from the left called Fox News' framing of Rittenhouse "dangerous." Some left-rated outlets also framed the Rittenhouse story as an argument for gun control, highlighting the fact that he was breaking the law while openly carrying a gun as a minor.