(WTRF) — Data stolen from a Christian crowdfunding website has revealed that police officers and public officials donated to pay for suspected Kenosha, Wisconsin, shooter Kyle Rittenhouse’s legal defense, The Guardian reported.
Rittenhouse, an Illinois teenager facing multiple charges, including two homicide counts, is accused of opening fire on protesters with an AR-15-style rifle, killing two people and injuring a third. According to prosecutors, Rittenhouse said he traveled to Kenosha on Aug. 25 to protect businesses from protesters.
The demonstrations in Kenosha followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake last summer, police said. Kenosha Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, who is Black, seven times in August during a domestic dispute, leaving him paralyzed.
The data breach came from the fundraising website GiveSendGo and showed several donations to Rittenhouse’s legal defense were “associated with email addresses traceable to police and other public officials.”
Donations came with comments such as: “God bless. Thank you for your courage. Keep your head up. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Another read, “Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.”
According to data from the site, Rittenhouse raised $586,940 between Aug. 27 and Jan. 7 of this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
