ABC7 Eyewitness News has confirmed that Rittenhouse is a former member of a youth police cadet program in the northern suburbs. The public safety cadets program included officers from Lindenhurst, Grayslake and Hainseville police departments.
The program gives teens a chance to explore a career in law enforcement.
Rittenhouse was also enrolled as a fire cadet with the Antioch Fire Department, where the chief said they did not have any issues with him during that time.
In the video from before the shooting, Rittenhouse identifies himself as an EMT, shouting, "Medical, EMS right here, I'm an EMT." But the department said he was only enrolled in their explorer program for less than a year.
The chief said Rittenhouse was enrolled as a cadet through a local high school. He was enrolled for less than a year due to COVID-19 cancelling the program.
Neighbors say Rittenhouse was interested in law enforcement, often wearing his cadet uniform around the apartment complex where he lived with his mother. Neighbors say last summer he marched in the July 4 parade as a cadet.
Rittenhouse was a student at Lakes Community High School, but administrators there said he did not graduate. The teen also worked at the YMCA in Volo, where he was on furlough due to COVID-19.
Antioch teenager Kyle Rittenhouse has been charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for a deadly shooting during a protest in Kenosha Tuesday night.
abc7chicago.com
As a former youth police cadet - he should have known better.