Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old from Illinois accused of killing two men during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was set bail at $2 million on Monday during his first appearance since he was extradited to Wisconsin last week.
The day after the Kenosha shooting, Rittenhouse turned himself in, alongside his mother, to Illinois police, the Times reported.
"I shot two white kids," he reportedly told police, according to records obtained by the outlet. He told the police he was "hired to protect businesses in Kenosha during the riots and had to protect himself."
Rittenhouse spent almost two months without bail in an Illinois detention center as his legal counsel fought his extradition, The New York Times reported.
Defense attorney Mark Richards asked Court Commissioner Loren Keating Monday to set bail at $750,000 and place him on electric monitoring, arguing that Rittenhouse fired his gun in self-defense, according to CBS.
Richards also says that his client tried to turn himself in seconds after the shootings, but officers disregarded him. Police at the scene later said that they didn't arrest him because the scene was chaotic, the outlet reported.
President Donald Trump suggested that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defense. “He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like,” Mr. Trump said in a news conference in August.
Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger asked for $2 million bond."The defendant doesn't want to be here and if released won't come back," Binger said. The attorneys representing Rosenbaum's family and Grosskreutz, all asked for a higher bail of $4 million.
GiveSendGo, self-described "Christian crowdfunding" site, raised nearly $550,000 to cover Rittenhouse's legal fees, Inside Edition Digital previously reported.
Rittenhouse faces life in prison if convicted.
Rittenhouse remained in custody as of Monday afternoon, and bail has not been posted. In the event that he is released, the court commissioner ordered Rittenhouse to avoid contact with the families of the victims and is prohibited from possessing a weapon, the Times reported.
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