A Wisconsin man who participated in the Kenosha riots last summer is facing a new charge of arson, Fox News reports.
Prosecutors claim the man, identified as 35-year-old Joshua Ziminski of Racine, Wisconsin, lit a dumpster on fire on Aug. 25 in the midst of the riots.
Previously, Ziminski was accused of firing a shot in the air before Kyle Rittenhouse shot three rioters that charged towards him, ultimately killing two, as reported by Fox News.
Charges filed Tuesday say video showed Joshua Ziminski tossing a match into a dumpster and asking a crowd for lighter fluid during Aug. 25 protests in Kenosha. https://t.co/hDA3IJ2aCo
— Southern Illinoisan (@thesouthern) January 26, 2021
Prosecutors have charged Ziminski with felony arson and two misdemeanors, including disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon and obstructing an officer, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The complaint accuses Ziminski and his wife Kelly, 30, of blocking police from dispersing an unruly mob on Aug. 25, Fox News reported. Videos from Kelly’s cell phone depict her husband throwing a lit match in a gas-station dumpster at around 11:15 p.m., the complaint alleges, according to Fox News.
The video also shows Joshua calling for other rioters to put flammable materials into the dumpster and push it towards the police, according to Madison.com. The Ziminskis had flammable materials of their own, and put them into the dumpster, The Southern Illinoisan reported. (RELATED: Accused Kenosha Gunman Kyle Rittenhouse Pleads Not Guilty On All Charges, Including Intentional Homicide)
Kenosha prosecutors dropped a separate charge from October of disorderly conduct with a dangerous weapon against Joshua, Fox News reported. In a previous criminal complaint against Joshua, prosecutors said he shot in the air moments before the nearby Rittenhouse shot three protestors.
Joseph Rosenbaum, one of the men Rittenhouse shot and who later died, was seen on video with the Ziminiskis moments before Rosenbaum charged Rittenhouse, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.