Witness Wounded by Rittenhouse Claims He Saw Teen as 'Active Shooter'

The only person shot by Kyle Rittenhouse to survive testified Monday that he believed the teenager was an "active shooter" and advanced toward Rittenhouse thinking he was preparing to fire his semi-automatic rifle.

Rittenhouse, 18, has been charged in the deaths of two men and with attempting to kill Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, during racial justice protests on Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of a Black man.

Grosskreutz, a former paramedic who was armed with a pistol that night, said he followed Rittenhouse because he had heard gunshots and saw protesters chasing him. He thought he might need to provide medical aid.

"I thought that the defendant was an active shooter," Grosskreutz told the jury.

During the pursuit by protesters Rittenhouse stumbled to the ground. The teen then shot Anthony Huber, 26, who had swung a skateboard at him.

Grosskreutz, who was approaching the teen, froze after Huber was shot, took a step back and put his hands in the air while still holding his pistol, according to video evidence and a criminal complaint filed days after the shootings last year.

Grosskreutz said on Monday that while he had his hands in the air he believed Rittenhouse had "re-racked" his rifle, effectively loading another round into the chamber so the gun was ready to fire. Grosskreutz said he interpreted that to mean the "defendant wasn’t accepting my surrender."

"At that moment I felt that I had to do something to try and prevent myself from being killed or shot," Grosskreutz said, adding that while he was holding his pistol, he never intended to use it.

Minutes earlier Rittenhouse shot dead Jason Rosenbaum, 36, in the parking lot of a used car dealership. Rittenhouse then fled the scene and a number of protesters started pursuing him, some shouting things like "Get his ass!" according to video evidence and the complaint.

Grosskreutz's testimony could prove pivotal as the trial enters its second week. Last week, multiple witnesses provided testimony that seemed to support the teen's claim of self-defense, especially in the case of Rosenbaum.

For prosecutors, Grosskreutz represents the only chance to question a survivor and elicit testimony that could rebut the notion that he was a threat to Rittenhouse, who fired a bullet that severely wounded Grosskreutz in his right arm.

Rittenhouse, who faces life in prison if convicted, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer said in court that Rittenhouse would take the stand in his own defense.

On cross-examination, defense lawyer Corey Chirafisi sought to portray Grosskreutz as dishonest, saying the man was chasing Rittenhouse with his gun out, which Grosskreutz denied, CBS News reported.

Chirafisi also brought up Grosskreutz's lawsuit against the city of Kenosha, which claims police enabled the violence.

"If Mr. Rittenhouse is convicted, your chance of getting 10 million bucks is better, right?" Chirafisi said. 

Mark Richards, another defense lawyer, said the evidence would show that Grosskreutz "went after" his client, and that an expert they plan to call to analyze video of the shooting would establish that Grosskreutz posed a threat.

"The slowed-down video from our self-defense expert will leave no doubt what his intent was," Richards wrote in an email to Reuters.

This report contains material from Reuters.