Authorities announced on Friday that 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse has made bail and is no longer in police custody after being charged with killing two men during Jacob Blake protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
According to NBC News, Rittenhouse’s bail had been set at $2 million after he said he acted in self-defense during the shooting.
"Kyle Rittenhouse's bond was posted this afternoon at about 2:00 pm which was set up through his attorney," Kenosha County Sheriff's Sgt. David Wright said in a statement. "He is no longer in custody at the Kenosha County Jail."
Rittenhouse, originally from Antioch, Illinois, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and other criminal charges in relation to the deaths of 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum and 26-year-old Anthony Huber during the Blake rally on Aug. 25.
On Thursday, the teenager said in a jailhouse interview posted by The Washington Post that he used money from a coronavirus stimulus check to buy the assault rifle he used in the shooting.
"I got my $1,200 from the coronavirus Illinois unemployment because I was on furlough from YMCA, and I got my first unemployment check, so I was like, 'Oh, I'll use this to buy it,'" Rittenhouse told The Washington Post.
The 17-year-old said he was out patrolling the streets of Kenosha on the night of Aug. 25 to protect local shops and supply medical support during protests.
"I was going into a place where people had guns, and God forbid somebody brought a gun to me and decided to shoot me. I wanted to be protected, which I ended up having to protect myself," he said.
Rittenhouse said he had no remorse about arming and protecting himself the night of the shooting.
"No, I don't regret it," he said. "I would have died that night if I didn't. I feel like I had to protect myself."
As Blavity previously
reported, several news outlets dug up pictures of the teenager at a Trump rally in Iowa in January, which has since been scrubbed from his social media accounts. Staff in the Trump Administration have condemned violent acts of “chaos” and expressed that Rittenhouse has no affiliation with the president's campaign.
“President Trump has repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness. This individual had nothing to do with our campaign and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case,” a Trump campaign spokesperson told BuzzFeed.
According to CNN, Rittenhouse is scheduled back in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 3.