Gaige Grosskreutz, one of three men shot by Kyle Rittenhouse, admitted on Monday that he pointed his gun at Rittenhouse before the teen shot him.
Prosecutors called Gaige Grosskreutz to the stand during day six of the trial.
Grosskreutz, who currently lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the third and last person Rittenhouse shot on August 25, 2020.
The other two men Rittenhouse shot, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, died.
Grosskreutz testified that he was certified as a paramedic and worked for a private ambulance company in Milwaukee.
He said he gave medical aid at demonstrations he and his friend attended in Milwaukee in the summer of 2020 following the death of George Floyd.
On August 25, 2020, Grosskreutz came to Kenosha and brought trauma medical supplies such as gauze, chest seals and a tourniquet. He was also wearing a hat that said “paramedic” on it.
Grosskreutz testified that he saw Rittenhouse offering medical aid and did not see him threatening anybody.
Grosskreutz said he was armed with a Glock 27 pistol holstered on his back.
“I believe in the second amendment. I am for people’s right to carry and bear arms,” Grosskreutz said.
Grosskreutz’s concealed carry permit was expired and not in effect that night. He said he thought Rittenhouse was an active shooter.
Grosskreutz had his gun in his right hand and cell phone, which was live streaming to Facebook, in his left hand.
Grosskreutz said he put his hands up after seeing Anthony Huber get shot in the chest.
Grosskreutz testified he saw Rittenhouse “reracking” his rifle.
“Reracking the weapon in my mind meant that the defendant pulled the trigger while my hands were in the air, but the gun didn’t fire. So then by reracking the weapon, I inferred that the defendant wasn’t accepting my surrender,” Grosskreutz said.
Grosskreutz said he thought Rittenhouse was an active shooter. He said he did not know Rosenbaum was shot by Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse told Grosskreutz he was going to the police while running northbound on Sheridan Road towards the police, video showed.
Grosskreutz denied he was chasing Rittenhouse, although video footage played at trial showed him running towards Rittenhouse.
Grosskreutz acknowledged more and more people were joining the chase against Rittenhouse.
Grosskreutz also testified that he pointed his gun at Rittenhouse.
Photos show when Grosskreutz approached Rittenhouse, his gun was pointing at Rittenhouse when Grosskreutz was shot in his right bicep.
“You’d agree your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse, correct?” defense attorney Corey Chirafisi asked. “Yes,” Grosskreutz answered.
“When you were standing three to five feet from him with your arms up in the air, he never fired, right?” Chirafisi asked. “Correct,” Grosskreutz answered.
“It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun, now your hands down pointed at him, that he fired, right?” Chirafisi asked. “Correct,” Grosskreutz said.
Prosecutors looked visibly upset at Grosskreutz’s response, which appeared to bolster Rittenhouse’s self-defense claim.
A Facebook comment posted by Grosskreutz’s former roommate said that Grosskreutz’s only regret was “not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him.” Grosskreutz denied telling his roommate that.
Afterward, Kenosha Police Officer Jason Kreuger was called to the stand.
He and his partner, Officer Pep Moretti, who testified Friday, were approached by Rittenhouse after the shooting.
Both officers said they did not hear people yelling that Rittenhouse was the shooter.
Krueger said he felt Rittenhouse was not surrendering to them because multiple individuals have put their hands up during the unrest to indicate they are not a threat to police.
“Throughout the past few days we’ve come across a lot of individuals who were armed and the first thing they do is put their hands up to signal they don’t mean any threat to us. Doesn’t mean that they were surrendering, just means that they just wanted us to see their hands,” Krueger said.
Krueger, who was in the passenger seat of the squad car, discharged his pepper spray at Rittenhouse when he approached.
Kristan Harris, who is a news reporter with The Rundown Live, was called to testify.
He took videos on the night of August 25, 2020, which have been used during the trial.
Kenosha Police Detective Ben Antaramian was also called to the stand on Monday.
Antaramian testified no one was killed on the nights of unrest besides the ones fatally shot by Rittenhouse.
Antaramian and Detective Martin Howard were the lead investigators of the case.
Both detectives were able to identify Rittenhouse as the shooter hours after the shootings.
Rittenhouse admitted he was involved in the shootings and was arrested at around 6 a.m. the following morning, Antaramian said.
The jurors were released at 4:50 p.m. Monday. The trial continues at 9 a.m. Tuesday.