Brad Brooks

(Reuters] – Kyle Rittenhouse shot a Wisconsin teenager during racial protests last year. He filed a lawsuit against the local police he claims deposed a “roving army” of white nationists.

On Thursday, Gaige Grosskreutz filed a lawsuit at federal court. Rittenhouse shot him as one of the three victims. Two others died. Rittenhouse will be facing homicide, attempted murder and other charges in connection to the shooting that took place in Kenosha in August 2020.

Grosskreutz filed a lawsuit stating that Rittenhouse killed two people and injured a third. “It was an inevitable consequence of Kenosha Sheriff’s office’s actions in delegating a roving militia in order to ‘protect property’ or ‘assist with maintaining order.’

Sam Hall, an attorney for Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth stated in an email statement that the claims in the lawsuit were untrue and that he will seek dismissal of the complaint.

Grosskreutz sues Kenosha County and Kenosha City, together with police and sheriffs department officers. A request for comment was not returned by Kenosha’s police department and Kenosha city.

Protests erupted following the shooting by police of Jacob Blake (a Black man who had refused to be arrested for domestic violence calls and was believed to have been armed with knives). Blake sustained paralysis from seven bullets to the back.

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department announced that it would not bring federal civil rights criminal charges against Rusten Sheskey (a Kenosha officer) for Blake’s involvement. Wisconsin had previously cleared Sheskey, stating that he had acted out of self-defense.

Rittenhouse will be tried in November for first-degree intentional and reckless homicide in killing Anthony Huber, Joseph Rosenbaum. She also faces charges of attempted first-degree intentional murder and the use of dangerous weapons in Grosskreutz’s shooting. Rittenhouse was also accused of weapons violations and other criminal offenses in the course of the protest.

Huber’s Family filed an identical lawsuit to Grosskreutz in August. It claims that local law enforcement officers and white nationalist militia personnel discussed and coordinated strategy.

Grosskreutz claimed in his lawsuit that Kenosha Guard militia members arrived at the protest openly carrying weapons and threat to those participating in peaceful demonstrations.

According to the lawsuit, unidentified militia members replied to Mathewson’s post on Facebook and stated that they wanted to murder protesters who they claimed were looting and rioting.

The lawsuit also refers to an email Mathewson wrote to the chief of police. It stated that Mathewson was the commander for the Kenosha Guard militia and “we are mobilizing tonight” with about 3,000 RSVPs.

Mathewson works as private investigator and didn’t immediately reply to my request.

It was alleged that social media posts showed clear evidence that the militia members did not attend the protest to defend local businesses, or contract for local security.

Rittenhouse (17 at the time) was not arrested by the police prior to or shortly after the shooting.

According to the suit, “If a Black individual approached police carrying an assault rifle offering to walk the streets with police,”