Kyle Rittenhouse Speaks From Jail

"KYLE RITTENHOUSE SPEAKS!!!!!!" So tweeted John Pierce, one of the attorneys for the Illinois 17-year-old, alongside a video that shows Pierce holding his cellphone as Rittenhouse talks via speakerphone from county jail. Rittenhouse—who stands accused of killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wis., last week—is asked what he wants to say to "fans." His reply in the minutelong video: "I just wanna thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for the underlining [sic] support. ... I want to thank all of you for the mail I've been receiving. It's been really helpful. Just want to let you all known that I'm going to be out of here soon, and stay strong, and I hope to see you guys soon."

Pierce then weighed in, too, in the video posted Tuesday night, stating, "If this is not self-defense for Kyle Rittenhouse under these circumstances, then no one can protect themselves, no one can protect their family, and no one can protect their country." Fox News reports that in a conversation with Pierce, he likened his client to the unknown shooter who fired the "shot heard round the world" on April 19, 1775, which kicked off the Battle of Concord and, by extension, the American Revolutionary War. (More Kyle Rittenhouse stories.)