Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Kyle Rittenhouse, US News
Shola Lee
Kyle Rittenhouse has returned to court to request the rifle he used to fatally shoot two people and injure a third at a Black Lives Matter demonstration be returned.
Today, January 28, a judge will hear Rittenhouse's argument that his rifle from the deadly 2020 demonstrations should be returned to him.
On August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse shot three men, killing two and wounding another in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Advert
Rittenhouse was cleared of all charges on November 19, 2021, including murder, after arguing that he fired his gun in self-defence.
Now, Rittenhouse's lawyers have filed for the gun from the incident to be returned, and has appeared in court once again to argue his case.
Along with the gun, Rittenhouse asked for other items on his possession during the shooting to be returned, including ammunition, a magazine for his rifle, a phone, a face mask, a $1 bill and the clothes he was wearing.
Rittenhouse's lawyers have said the teenager wants to destroy the gun, over fears that it could become a kind of political symbol, used to 'celebrate' the shootings. He also reportedly intends to throw the other items away.
David Hancock, spokesperson for Rittenhouse told Sky News, 'At the end of the day, two people did lose their lives. That weapon was involved in that. The weapon doesn't belong on a mantle. It doesn't belong in a museum. It belongs where Kyle wants it, and Kyle wants it destroyed.'
Hancock added, 'There's plenty of people out there who would like to hold these items up, on both sides. That's nothing Kyle's interested in.'
Rittenhouse's case has been heavily publicised and has divided America. Following the trial and the not guilty verdict, there were widespread demonstrations. In New York, around 300 people marched from the Brooklyn to Manhattan. While in Chicago between 60 to 100 protestors marched from the Federal Plaza downtown to Michigan Avenue and Madison Street before being stopped by police.
Protests also erupted in Portland, which prompted officials to declare a riot, after a group of '10 to 20' broke windows and threw objects at police.
The protests highlighted the imbalance in the US justice system and the lack of accountability.
While some conservatives have attempted to make made Rittenhouse into a pseudo-celebrity for the right-wing, supporting his claim of self-defence and inviting him to interviews, many feel he is a gun-wielding vigilante who hasn't been held responsible for his abhorrent actions, which left two dead and another injured.
Judge Bruce Schroeder, who oversaw Rittenhouse's trial, will now hear the motion and decide whether the gun should be returned.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]