The right-wing figure Kyle Rittenhouse, known for killing two men during unrest in 2020, sparked backlash Wednesday as he floated whether to travel to Minnesota after federal immigration agents gunned down an American citizen, leading to community protests.
Earlier in the day, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis. Tense protests erupted near the scene, which was blocks from the George Floyd memorial site, amid a large federal operation involving 2,000 agents.
Federal officials claimed Good's vehicle obstructed and threatened agents during a traffic stop, as they defended the slaying as self-defense.
Video of the incident sent shockwaves across the city, forcing law enforcement to deploy crowd control measures, including using tear gas and pepper spray on protesters. Some protesters even threw snowballs at officers, and one held a sign that said "shame."
As protests escalated, Rittenhouse took to X to float a stunning idea.
"After thinking about it, should I travel across the state line to Minnesota." he wrote. He added a smiling face emoji with an open mouth and tightly-closed eyes.
The post was in reference to his decision in August 2020 to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, armed with an AR-15-style rifle to protect businesses from rioters. Confrontations led to him fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. He was ultimately acquitted a year later of homicide and related counts after a jury found he acted in self-defense.
His trolling post predicably led to outrage.
Peter Rothpletz of Zeteo News wrote on X, "unspeakably crass. cruel. sociopathic."
Chris Manzo, host of Fantasy Life on Sirius XM, wrote on X, "Rarely political, but someone needs to beat the s---out of him."
The account Wes and Axel’s Dad chided, "Why so you can cry like a little b---- again?" He shared a video of Rittenhouse bawling on the stand.
Comedian Justin Martindale, host of "Just Sayin" podcast, replied, "F---off incel."
Politics reporter Roger Sollenbergerlamented on X, "Difficult to express all the ways this is so incredibly sad."
Philip Shulman of Wisconsin Democrats wrote on X, "nothing like right-wingers casually joking about murdering American citizens."
Writer Maria Figuereo chided on X, "irrelevant murderer ragebaits on online platform for a $5.75 check from a ketamine addict."