Using reports based off a data breach, ABC4 News took a camera crew to the home of a Utah paramedic who donated $10 last summer to a defense fund for teenager Kyle Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse, 18, has been charged with two felony counts of homicide and one count of felony attempted homicide for allegedly killing two men and wounding a third during a riot in Kenosha last year. The teen is facing potential life in prison.
As highlighted by Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak, The Guardian used data breached from charity website GiveSendGo to dox numerous low-level police officers and paramedics who made small donations to help colleagues targeted by Black Lives Matter.
ABC4 News published the paramedic’s name and brought a camera crew to his home to question him about “his side of things.” The paramedic did not come out of his home.
A report from the news station boasted of ABC4 News investigative reporter Jason Nguyen going to the man’s home, noting “those inside the home didn’t want to talk.” A video of the encounter aired on the news station.
West Valley City officials told the news station in a statement that the paramedic is “an employee of the West Valley City Fire Department” and they are opening an “investigation” into the $10 donation.
“We have become aware of a donation made using his government email account,” the statement said. “We are conducting an investigation into this matter, however, such a donation would be representative of personal actions and not those of West Valley City.”
“[West Valley City Fire Department’s] conducting an investigation after a paramedic is caught donating $10 to the defense fund of Kyle Rittenhouse using his government email,” Nguyen posted to Twitter on Saturday.
.@wvcfd conducting an investigation after a paramedic is caught donating $10 to the defense fund of Kyle Rittenhouse using his government email. @abc4utah https://t.co/nRwdmwEWLC
— Jason Nguyen (@FollowWIN) April 17, 2021
An organization raising funds for Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense, #FightBack Foundation, published a video in September outlining the events of the night the then-17-year-old fatally shot two rioters in Kenosha. The Daily Wire reported on portions of the video:
The video shows Rittenhouse tending to hurt protesters during the night of the riot, before tensions escalate and the teen finds himself pursued by a mob and pinned between cars as gun shots ring out nearby.
“Every decade or so, a legal matter arises that holds the power to negatively affect our lives for generations to come,” the narrator prefaces the video. “Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you identify with, this is about you.”
“To prevent the total destruction of their communities, good Samaritans united to guard local businesses,” the video continues, showing destruction from rioters.
“So people are getting injured,” Rittenhouse himself says before the incident, the video captures. “Our job is to protect this business. Part of my job is to help people. If there’s somebody hurt, I’m running into harm’s way.”
“I have a medic kit,” the teen yells to the protesters. “If you are injured, come to me!”
The video, titled, “Kyle Rittenhouse – The Truth in 11 Minutes,” highlights that not one of Rittenhouse’s attackers were given a single charge.
“A 17-year-old American citizen is being sacrificed by politicians,” the narrator says. “But it’s not Kyle Rittenhouse they’re after; their end game is to strip away the Constitutional right of all citizens to defend our communities, our personal property, our lives, and the lives of our loved ones.”
An attorney for Rittenhouse announced in February that the teen was staying at a safe house with his family due to threats they had received after prosecutors claimed Rittenhouse violated his bail terms.
Related: Kyle Rittenhouse Staying In ‘Safe House’ After ‘Numerous Threats,’ Attorney Says