Kyle Rittenhouse appeared in court today for an extradition hearing to decide whether he would be sent back to Kenosha to be tried in Wisconsin courts.
The armed teenager travelled from his home state of Illinois to Wisconsin last month in response to protests that broke out in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey.
Rittenhouse, who was a dedicated supporter of the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement, was seen in multiple videos affirming his desire to "protect" local businesses from protesters and socializing with police officers with his AR-15 style rifle in open sight.
Rittenhouse was chased by protesters after shooting and killing 36 year old Joseph Rosenbaum. After tripping and falling on the ground, he opened fire again, killing 26 year old Anthony Huber and maiming another protester.
He was allowed to cross over into an approaching police line with his firearm still plainly visible without incident, despite the crowd yelling that he had just shot some people. He wasn't arrested until the next day, when he had already returned to his home town of Antioch, Illinois.
The judge decided to postpone the final call on Rittenhouse's extradition until another hearing on October 9.
The teenager is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide, which carry a mandatory life sentence if convicted. He also faces charges related to travelling across state lines with a firearm while underage.
In the weeks since Rittenhouse's night in Kenosha, he has become something of a hero to some right-wing circles, who see him as a symbol of patriotism that was merely exercising his right to take up arms to defend a community.
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