A PROTEST escalated when a gunman fatally shot two victims and left another civilian injured.
Before Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all the charges related to the Kenosha shooting, it was speculated that his mother drove him to the rally.
Kyle Rittenhouse pictured during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in November 2021Credit: ReutersWho is Kyle Rittenhouse's mom, Wendy?
Kyle Rittenhouse is the second born of Wendy and Michael Rittenhouse's three children.
Born on November 24, 1974, Wendy is a nursing assistant from Lake County, Illinois.
Her previous employment includes Travanse Living, which is located in the abovementioned area.
Are there illegal baby names? Surprising monikers that are BANNED in other countries, from Sarah to ThomasBy 2014, she and Michael Rittenhouse were separated.
Did Wendy Rittenhouse drive Kyle to the Kenosha protests?
Although it was theorized that Wendy Rittenhouse drove Kyle to the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the speculation was debunked.
According to Kyle's trial testimony, he drove himself to Kenosha the day before the civil unrest.
After working at the RecPlex in nearby Pleasant Prairie, he spent the night at a friend's house.
When Kyle went home after the shooting, Wendy gave him two options: turn himself in or leave town.
The pair then drove to the police station, where the former requested a lawyer.
"The last text I sent Kyle was, 'Where are you at? Are you okay?'" the latter recalled to ABC News.
"He said, 'Yes, I am okay. Doing medic.' That was at like...11:30 and then, I fell asleep.
"Then I jolted out of my sleep and knew something was wrong. I knew I had to go find him.
"If he didn't have that gun, he would have been dead.
All about Rachel Nickell who was murdered in front of her son Alex Hanscombe"Point-blank. It was all self-defense. I saw it. If I wasn't his mother, I would have said the same thing...it was self-defense.
"He was attacked by a mob. He's not a monster.
"People need just to watch a video and they need to go step by step on it."
Wendy Rittenhouse insists she did not drive Kyle to the protests in Kenosha, WisconsinCredit: TwitterHow did the Rittenhouse family react to Kyle's trial verdict?
On November 19, 2021, Kyle was found not guilty of first-degree homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangerment.
"He [Kyle] does have remorse," Wendy stated to Fox News.
"It's not about winning or losing. There were two people that did pass away and families have grieved.
"He would have never went down there if this would have ever happened again. He would never."
Years later, Kyle's sister spoke out about the trial's effect on her family.
Faith Rittenhouse said via GoFundMe: "Just under 4 years ago, our lives were shattered when my brother was involved in a tragic shooting incident.
"The aftermath of this event uprooted our family's stability and left us grappling with grief, trauma, and the harsh reality of starting over.
"We've had difficulty obtaining and maintaining employment due to the fact many people still believe my mother drove Kyle or was somehow involved in his decision to go to Kenosha.
"With my brother's unwillingness to provide support or contribute to our family, we've been left to navigate this journey on our own.
"To make matters worse, I lost my job due to frequent hospitalizations due to medical issues, I have been unable to work over the last four months making it extremely difficult to provide.
"We've exhausted every resource available to us, but we're still coming up short.
"The reality is that we have nowhere else to run, and time is running out."