Arizona student fundraiser for Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse stirs outrage

TEMPE, Ariz. —  A Republican student group at Arizona State University has sparked a backlash for donating money to the 17-year-old youth who allegedly shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha, Wis.

College Republicans United announced last week that half of any funds they raise during the semester would go toward paying for the legal defense of Kyle Rittenhouse.

“He does not deserve to have his entire life destroyed because of the actions of violent anarchists during a lawless riot,” the group said in a tweet.

But in a statement Saturday, another campus group, the ASU College Republicans, denounced College Republicans United as a “radical, far-right extremist group.”

ASU College Republicans called for an investigation of the group.

Authorities in Kenosha say Rittenhouse shot and killed two people and severely wounded a third with an AR-15 rifle Tuesday. The victims were participants of anti-racism demonstrations prompted by the shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black, by a white police officer.

World & Nation

Teen charged in Kenosha killings, Kyle Rittenhouse, had a history of praising police

Two were dead, and one was injured after shootings amid protests in Kenosha, Wis. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested on homicide charges.

Aug. 26, 2020

Blake, 29, who was shot seven times, remains hospitalized.

Rittenhouse told police he was trying to protect businesses and people and acted in self-defense. At a hearing Friday, a judge postponed a decision on whether Rittenhouse, who is in custody in Illinois, should be returned to Wisconsin to face charges, including first-degree intentional homicide.

ASU officials said in a statement that the school cannot prohibit a group from fundraising. But the school does not endorse the fundraiser.

The group is not the only one raising money for Rittenhouse. A self-described Christian fundraising site says it has raised more than $100,000 for the teenager’s defense.