News and Commentary

Man Charged With Firing ‘Warning Shot’ Allegedly Just Before Kyle Rittenhouse Opened Fire

   DailyWire.com
Rittenhouse
Screenshot: Fox News

A man from Racine, Wisconsin, who admitted he fired a “warning shot” before Kyle Rittenhouse first fired his AR-15 rifle in Kenosha on August 25 has been charged with disorderly conduct-use of a dangerous weapon.

Joshua Ziminski, 35, was charged last week with disorderly conduct. Rittenhouse wound up shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and Gaige Grosskreutz. Rosenbaum and Huber died.

“An hourlong analysis of different videos from that evening by Neil Keirnan, a Michigan-based blogger, posted Sept. 26, properly identified Ziminski and breaks down his presence near the gas station where Rittenhouse first fires his AR-15 rifle, killing Rosenbaum.” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote.

Ziminski and his wife told detectives on October 7 that he had fired a “warning shot.”

The criminal complaint against Ziminski states that videos reveal Ziminski pointing the gun up a few yards from where Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse. “As the shot is heard, Rittenhouse turns back toward Rosenbaum,” the Journal Sentinel noted, adding, “Witnesses say Rosenbaum then tried to grab the rifle from Rittenhouse, who then fired four times.”

“A detective reported that in reviewing multiple videos, he was able to see Ziminski and his wife in and around multiple other people on the streets, and the defendant was seen holding the handgun down at his side in said videos, the complaint says,” WISN reported.

The detective also stated that Ziminski’s arm was pointing the gun up, and that the handgun emitted a muzzle flash simultaneously with the sound of a gunshot. “In another video, Ziminski was seen walking in the same area, holding his right arm upwards and firing off one shot from his handgun, the complaint says,” WISN added.

According to a statement from Pierce Bainbridge, Rittenhouse’s attorney, Rittenhouse had cleaned up graffiti from rioters after having finished a shift as a lifeguard in Kenosha; he later “received information about a call for help from a local” car dealership owner who allegedly needed protection for his properties, apparently “including two nearby mechanic’s shops,” from rioters and looters. Bainbridge said that Rittenhouse and a friend armed themselves and went to help.

The Daily Wire reported:

Describing the events of the incident, the statement says Rittenhouse was on his way to a mechanic’s shop when multiple rioters accosted him, recognizing him as one of the people trying to protect the shops in the area. The teen tried to flee as he was chased by the “mob,” and “[u]pon the sound of a gunshot behind him, Kyle turned and was immediately faced with an attacker lunging towards him and reaching for his rifle. He reacted instantaneously and justifiably with his weapon to protect himself, firing and striking the attacker.”

“In fear for his life and concerned the crowd would either continue to shoot at him or even use his own weapon against him, Kyle had no choice but to fire multiple rounds towards his immediate attackers, striking two, including one armed attacker,” the law firm adds.

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  Man Charged With Firing ‘Warning Shot’ Allegedly Just Before Kyle Rittenhouse Opened Fire