CNN's sympathetic portrait of Kenosha rioter

FPI / September 15, 2020

A rioter in Kenosha, Wisconsin who had part of his arm shot off after he pulled a gun on 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was portrayed in an interview on CNN as a heroic victim who was merely a "peaceful protester."

"Sole survivor of Kenosha protests shootings speaks out for first time," reads the headline on CNN.com for the article featuring the interview with 26-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz.

As CNN tells the tale, Grosskreutz had made the 40-mile trip from his home in Milwaukee to Kenosha because he was disturbed by the police involved shooting of Jacob Blake. As a former paramedic, he would also offer medical assistance to any "protester" who needed it. He even wore his "paramedic" hat for the interview.

As CNN tells it, Grosskreutz the "peaceful protester" also just happened to see on Facebook a group called the Kenosha Guard call for armed citizens to take to the streets. The "concerned" Grosskreutz decided to bring his handgun to the "peaceful protest."

"Everybody was there exercising their right to protest. And there were some people who were exercising their right to bear arms, including myself," he told CNN.

Social media video from the shootings in Kenosha shows Grosskreutz with a gun in his hand as he chases down Rittenhouse, who had fallen to the ground as a mob of rioters pursued him. Rittenhouse shot Grosskreutz in the arm. The blast obliterated his bicep.

"I never fired my gun," Grosskreutz told CNN. "I was there to help people. Not hurt people."

On the advice of his attorney, Grosskreutz would not discuss why he was chasing the suspect who was clearly carrying a high-powered rifle.

Grosskreutz admitted he has had run-ins with police in the past, but says he had every right to carry his firearm.

"I'm not a felon," he said. "I have my concealed carry, I've had it for years. That was my gun. My firearm. I had a legal right to possess it and to possess it concealed."

“I’m now missing 90% of my bicep,” he said of getting “shot point-blank with a .223 round” as he chased down Rittenhouse. “I’m in constant pain. Excruciating pain, pain that just doesn’t go away — both in my arm [and] in my heart.”

In portraying Grosskreutz as a sympathetic victim, CNN conveniently fails to mention that he is a member of a radical Black Lives Matter faction called the People’s Revolution. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirmed Grosskreutz's membership in the group aligned with the Marxist Black Lives Matter movement.

CNN also fails to mention what a friend of Grosskreutz had said after the shooting:

“So the kid shot gaige as he drew his weapon and gaige retreated with his gun in hand. I just talked to Gaige Grosskreutz too, his only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him. Coward,” a friend of Grosskreutz wrote in a chat.

Rittenhouse's attorney, John Pierce, told NBC News: “This was classic self-defense and we are going to prove it. We will obtain justice for Kyle no matter how hard the fight or how long it takes.”

Rittenhouse was arrested, charged with 6 counts, including one count of intentional homicide, and is currently being detained.

One Twitter user noted: "While Kyle Rittenhouse is rotting in jail under $2 Million bond for shooting in self-defense, Gaige Grosskreutz--the man who attacked him w/a gun while Kyle was lying on the ground--is free to roam & continue stirring up mayhem."

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