Wisconsin protests shooting suspect is former member of youth police cadet program

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(CNN)The suspect in the Kenosha, Wisconsin, fatal shooting is a former member of a youth police cadet program with an affinity for guns, according to police and online profiles.

Antioch, Illinois, police identified the suspect Wednesday as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse.

In Grayslake, Illinois -- about 10 miles from Antioch and 30 miles from Kenosha -- police chief Phillip L. Perlini said the suspect in the shooting was a former Public Safety Cadet.

That program is described online as offering youth the opportunity to explore careers in law enforcement. Due to the person's age and state law, the chief said the department couldn't comment further.

He was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, Antioch police said in a news release. He remains in custody of the Lake County Judicial System awaiting extradition to Wisconsin, the release said.

He has been charged in a single shooting incident, during a night of unrest Tuesday in which two people were killed and a third was seriously injured, Kenosha police said.

Police have not said who is responsible for committing all of the shootings, and they have not provided details on the incident Rittenhouse is charged with.

The victims have been identified as a 26-year-old from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The shooting happened amid protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Videos that circulated on social media show a person with a long gun running down a street, followed by a crowd. The individual falls to the ground and appears to begin firing. Several shots are heard.

What his social media shows

Online profiles seemingly belonging to the suspect portray a young white man with an affinity for guns, who is pro-police and a supporter of the President.

A video posted on a Snapchat account believed to belong to the suspect placed him at the scene of protests Tuesday night. The clips show a few seconds of the point of view of someone carrying a long rifle and police announcements can be heard over loudspeakers.

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In videos posted to a TikTok account, individuals can be seen taking part in target practice and assembling a long rifle.

Rittenhouse also posted a short video from a Trump rally earlier this year in Des Moines, Iowa, on one of his TikTok accounts. President Donald Trump is not shown in the video.

Departing Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway responded to reports that the accused shooter charged with killing at least one person in Wisconsin allegedly attended a Trump rally in January. Conway said she was aware of the media reports, but that the White House is "not responsible for the private conduct of people who go to rallies."

Sheriff says he was asked to deputize citizens

In a news conference following the shooting, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said he had received requests from community members to deputize citizens to aid police in responding to the protests.

"What happened last night [...] was probably the perfect reason why I wouldn't," Beth said. "Once I deputize somebody they fall under the Constitution of the state of Wisconsin."

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The sheriff said deputizing citizens would be a liability to him, the county and the state.

"A group wanted me to deputize people that were carrying guns, this person was carrying a gun," Beth said, referring to the suspect arrested for the shooting.

"He could have been part of it."

In a statement, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul condemned the violence.

"While the two people who were killed and the person who was injured by gunfire have not yet been identified, we are thinking of their destroyed futures and their friends and families that must live with this overwhelming grief," the statement said.

He said the community deserved a chance to heal and called for "heavily armed vigilantes, arsonists, and other opportunists" who came to Kenosha to "spur chaos" to leave.

"If those engaging in violence and destruction of property believe they are furthering some broader goal, they are wrong," Kaul said.

On Rittenhouse's Facebook profile and TikTok bio there are references to "Blue Lives Matter."

In a post on December 22, 2018, he said that for his birthday he was asking for donations for a non-profit called, "Humanizing the Badge," along with a post that said the group sought to "forge stronger relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve."

CNN's Alexandra Meeks and Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.

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