Kenosha Cops Enabled Kyle Rittenhouse to Run Wild, Lawsuit Alleges

A Wisconsin man who was wounded by teenage gunman Kyle Rittenhouse as protests raged following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, has filed a lawsuit against the city of Kenosha and the local police and sheriff’s departments, accusing them of giving, essentially, an armed militia, free reign to operate all but unhindered. Protester Gaige Grosskreutz was shot in the arm by Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, with a semiautomatic rifle on August 25, 2020. Grosskreutz survived. But two others shot by Rittenhouse died from their wounds. Grosskreutz’s lawsuit, which was filed Thursday, claims police knew Rittenhouse and other counterprotesters were there with the express intention of hurting people. Yet, police greeted them warmly and let them walk the streets with guns out, even after curfew. “We appreciate you guys,” one cop said, according to the lawsuit, which alleges that police saw Rittenhouse after the shooting but never asked for ID or detained him for questioning. Grosskreutz is seeking unspecified damages.