Gaige Grosskreutz — the man Kyle Rittenhouse wounded during summer 2020 rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin — testified on Monday that he pointed a gun at Rittenhouse before Rittenhouse fired at him, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
What are the details?
Defense attorney Corey Chirafisi got Grosskreutz to admit that several statements he made to police after the shooting included incorrect details or omitted others, the paper said.
One big apparent omission was that Grosskreutz pointed a gun at Rittenhouse before Rittenhouse fired on him, the Journal Sentinel reported, adding that Grosskreutz initially told police he dropped his gun at some point during the incident, never mentioning he pointed it at Rittenhouse.
Here’s part of that testimony, during which Grosskreutz says Rittenhouse “vaporized” his bicep:
Rittenhouse shooting victim confronted with video showing him pointing gun at defendant youtu.be
Grosskreutz was carrying concealed a Glock that night but also said Monday that his concealed carry permit was expired at the time, the paper said.
Also Grosskreutz told prosecutors earlier Monday he attended the protests as a medic and wasn’t trying to be an active participant, but the Journal Sentinel said Grosskreutz admitted upon further questioning that he spoke at a rally hosted by the Peoples Revolution — a Milwaukee-based group that has protested against police violence — and made statements such as, “Long live the revolution.”
Grosskreutz said he’s not a member of the group but has “an affiliation” with it, the paper added.
Grosskreutz said he saw Rittenhouse “re-rack” his rifle
Grosskreutz also said his failure to tell police he pointed his gun at Rittenhouse wasn’t intentional, the Journal Sentinel reported, noting that police interviewed him after surgery while he was still on pain medication and coming down from the traumatic events of the shooting.
Grosskreutz also testified he put his hands in the air after Rittenhouse shot Anthony Huber and then saw Rittenhouse “re-rack” his rifle, the paper said, after which he figured Rittenhouse wouldn’t “accept [his] surrender” and then moved toward Rittenhouse.
He also testified that he wasn’t “intentionally” pointing his gun at Rittenhouse, the Journal Sentinel said.
“I was never trying to kill the defendant. That was never something that I was trying to do. In that moment, I was trying to preserve my own life,” Grosskreutz testified, according to the paper. “But doing so while also taking the life of another is not something that I’m capable or comfortable of doing. That goes against almost a lifelong ethical code that I’ve lived by in regards to medicine.”
Anything else?
Grosskreutz also denied ever saying his “only regret was not killing the kid” and that he wanted to empty his “entire mag” into Rittenhouse — comments a former roommate attributed to Grosskruetz, the Journal Sentinel said.
Townhall senior writer Julio Rosas tweeted that the former roommate in question — Jacob Marshall — “was in the courtroom but is now gone after being served a subpoena” and that the judge said officials “need to find out where Marshall is.” Rosas added that Marshall is scheduled to testify Wednesday, citing the defense.