Interrupting the Republican National Convention (RNC) Wednesday night, CNN’s Van Jones suggested people should beat up a 17-year-old, who allegedly shot and killed two individuals early Wednesday morning during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Jones criticized the RNC for having Mark and Patricia McCloskey speak, noting their appearance was part of a greater problem that apparently seems to condone “pointing guns at people who are not armed.” He then turned his attention to the alleged 17-year-old shooter, claiming that it was “irresponsible” for him to have the weapon, seemingly equating the situation to the McCloskey’s.
“My prayer is that [Mike Pence] will try to bring us together. My prayer is that the left won’t beat this kid up because he likes Donald Trump. We should beat this kid up because he is doing irresponsible things and has been pulled into an irresponsible movement that the president needs to denounce,” Jones said.
Social media accounts from the alleged shooter appear to have shown he was pro-police and attended one of the president’s rallies this year.
According to a Lake County, Illinois, complaint from Wednesday, the shooter was listed as a “Fugitive From Justice” and wanted for “First Degree Intentional Homicide.” The teen was then arrested Wednesday morning in Antioch, Illinois, and is being held in a Juvenile facility in Illinois, according to ABC7.
The alleged shooter is due back in court Friday for an extradition hearing to Wisconsin, where the charges are, according to the spokesperson for the Lake County Sheriffs’s office, Chris Covelli.
In videos leading up to the fatal shootings, the 17-year-old told The Daily Caller’s Richie McGinniss that he was there to protect a business. (RELATED: Alleged Kenosha Shooter Told The Daily Caller He Was There To ‘Help People,’ Protect Property Before Shooting)
I interviewed the alleged shooter before the violence started.
Full video coming soon: pic.twitter.com/G3dVOJozN7
— Richie????McG???? (@RichieMcGinniss) August 26, 2020
Video footage appears to show the 17-year-old being chased by a group of individuals. At one point, it appears someone threw an object at the suspected shooter.
Moments later gunfire can be heard.
Another angle of the shooting and moments after. Can see @RichieMcGinniss and others on scene giving aid. He was right next to the victim when the shooting happened.pic.twitter.com/CVfdc1DIQx
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) August 26, 2020
The video appears to show the suspect, dressed in a green shirt armed with a rifle, walk toward an individual who collapsed after being shot in the head. He then runs away from the scene past the cameraman. A voice in the video can be heard saying what sounds like “I just killed somebody.”
Another video then shows what appears to be the shooter running away while a group of individuals chase him. It appears somebody tries to tackle the shooter, who then fires his weapon multiple times. The shooter then walks toward oncoming police vehicles with his hands up, though it is unclear where he went after the video ended.
(Warning, Graphic/Violent)
A crowd chases a suspected shooter down in Kenosha. He trips and falls, then turns with the gun and fires several times. Shots can be heard fired elsewhere as well, corroborating reports of multiple shooters tonight #Kenosha #KenoshaRiots pic.twitter.com/qqsYWmngFW— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) August 26, 2020
Riots began Sunday after police shot Jacob Blake multiple times in the back. Blake is alive and in stable condition. However, he is partially paralyzed, according to his father.