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‘Friendly, Friendly, Friendly!’: Man Rittenhouse Shot Kept Chasing Him Despite Alert He Wasn’t Threat: Police

   DailyWire.com
Kyle Rittenhouse puts a pen in his pocket as a break is called during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on November 4, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images

Moments before a fatal shooting on August 25, 2020, a masked Joseph Rosenbaum continued to chase down Kyle Rittenhouse despite the teen repeatedly yelling that he was “friendly,” Kenosha Police detective Martin Howard confirmed during testimony on Wednesday.

Howard was reviewing never-before-seen FBI infrared aerial surveillance footage for the court when defense asked him about Rittenhouse being pursued by Rosenbaum, and the then-17-year-old’s repeated yells of “friendly.”

Those yells, however, did not “dissuade Mr. Rosenbaum, correct?” Rittenhouse attorney Mark Richards asked Howard.

“Correct,” the official responded.

As highlighted by The Daily Wire, the footage shows Rittenhouse, by himself, hastily walking down the sidewalk before Rosenbaum comes out of what defense has called a “hiding spot” between a cluster of cars. The cluster was located at a Car Source, where at least one vehicle had been set on fire that night.

As noted by CNN, other videos have confirmed that a different person, identified as Joshua Ziminski by Howard, fired a gunshot in the air seconds before Rittenhouse fatally shot Rosenbaum, who was chasing him:

That initial shot was fired by Joshua Ziminski, Howard testified. Afterward, Rittenhouse fired four times at Rosenbaum. There were another three shots afterward, the videos show, but Howard said investigators still do not know who fired those.

>“Ziminski, 36, has separately been charged with disorderly conduct using a dangerous weapon, arson and obstructing an officer, and he has pleaded not guilty, court records show,” CNN reported. “A criminal complaint says he admitted to firing a ‘warning shot’ in the air that night.”

As reported by The Daily Wire’s Mairead Elordi, another witness testified Friday that one of the other men Rittenhouse shot was holding a gun that was loaded and ready to be fired:

Jason Lackowski, the seventh witness called by the prosecution, said he helped Gaige Grosskreutz, who survived after Rittenhouse shot and injured him in his right arm during riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer. Lackowski said he helped apply a tourniquet to Grosskreutz’s arm and emptied his handgun, and that was when he observed that the gun had a bullet in the chamber.

Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he was arrested for fatally shooting Rosenbaum and one other man, as well as injuring a third during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He is charged with five felony counts and one misdemeanor, including first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

The teen pleaded not guilty in January, claiming he acted in self-defense.

Related: Rittenhouse Trial: Never-Before-Seen FBI Video Shows Key Moments Before Shooting

Related: Witness: Man Rittenhouse Fatally Shot Acted ‘Erratic’; Hurled N-Word, Shouted ‘Shoot Me’ Near Gas Station

Related: WATCH: Prosecutor Lists Numerous Alleged Crimes Of Man Kyle Rittenhouse Fatally Shot, Downplays As Irrelevant

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the date of the shooting. It occurred on August 25, 2020, not August 20. 

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