On Wednesday, November 10, 2021, Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand in his own trial and explained that his bulletproof was given to him by a police department.
During introductory questions, Attorney Mark Richards asked Rittenhouse if he was a “member of any groups.”
Rittenhouse responded, “I was a Police Explorer for Grayslake Police Department, and I was firefighter/EMT cadet for Antioch Fire Department.”
As questioning continued, Rittenhouse testified that he was in Kenosha on August 24, 2021, and became aware of the unrest in the city via various social media posts and videos.
Rittenhouse said, “I saw the Car Source lot being burned down, I saw a police [officer] get assaulted, he had a brick thrown at his head, and I saw the mattress store owner get knocked out, and I believe his jaw was broken, it had to be wired shut or something.”
Burned-out vehicles are seen in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 24, 2020. The cars were set on fire during protests in the city Sunday night following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)
Richards asked, “So you saw all that on the 24th?
“Yes,” Rittenhouse answered.
Richards then asked, “Did you go to downtown at that time and try to do anything about that?”
“No, I did not,” Rittenhouse replied.
Rittenhouse talked about cleaning graffiti off an area high school around noon on August 25, 2021, then walking by Car Source One to see the destruction from the fire the day before.
Volunteers, including Kyle Rittenhouse, clean graffiti from a high school near the Kenosha County Courthouse following another night of unrest on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
He then talked of getting a call from an individual named Nick Smith and explained that Smith wanted to be driven by O’Hare airport to buy a bulletproof vest.
Rittenhouse testified that he and a friend went and bought two slings for their rifles “about 2:30 p.m.,” then picked up Smith around 3:15 or 3:30 p.m.
He said Smith asked him to help keep an eye on a car lot, and Rittenhouse agreed to do so.
Rittenhouse testified that he then passed his own bulletproof vest to Smith and said, “Here, Nick, I don’t need my bulletproof vest. I’m going to be helping people with first aid.”
Richards asked, “Why does a 17-year-old kid have a bulletproof vest?
Rittenhouse responded, “It was issued to me by the Grayslake Police Department.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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