A semiautomatic rifle used by Kyle Rittenhouse in the fatal shooting of two men during a 2020 protest will be destroyed by state police according to a Wisconsin judge's order issued on Friday, Newsweek reports.
A spokesperson for Rittenhouse said that earlier this month Rittenhouse requested that the rifle be returned to him because he wanted the rifle to be dismantled and discarded to prevent it from turning into a symbol that people celebrate.
According to an agreement with Rittenhouse's attorneys, Kenosha County Judge Bruce Schroeder — who presided over Rittenhouse's trial — and Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger, state police will destroy the rifle that was used to kill Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and wound Gaige Grosskreutz during a protest in Kenosha.
This will most likely occur in April. Rittenhouse will get back other items he had on him during the shooting, including clothing and a face mask, which he requested.
"At the end of the day, two people did lose their lives, period," said David Hancock, a spokesperson for Rittenhouse. "That weapon was involved in that. That weapon doesn't belong on a mantle. It doesn't belong in a museum. It belongs where Kyle wants it, and Kyle wants it destroyed.
"There's plenty of people out there who would like to hold these items up, on both sides. That's nothing Kyle's interested in."
Rittenhouse was found not guilty of five first-degree felony charges following a trial last November. He had argued that he acted in self-defense during the shooting.
© 2022 Newsmax. All rights reserved.