An armed man who was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse but survived has likened the Kenosha shooter's courtroom tears to those of a child.
Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, also told Good Morning America that he was convinced Rittenhouse, 18, is only upset about being caught and put on trial for the alleged murder of two protesters in the riot-ravaged Wisconsin city during August 2020.
Grosskruetz, who was shot in the arm by Rittenhouse after confronting him for killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber during a Black Lives Matter protest last year, told Good Morning America that the teen 'seemed like a child who’d just gotten caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.'
'More upset that he was caught and less upset about what he had done and what he had taken and the numerous lives that he affected through his actions that night,' Grosskruetz said.
The paramedic, who claimed to have been in Kenosha to provide medical assistance on his free time, has himself faced questions over his motives and truthfulness on recent days. He falsely claimed that his Glock fell out of its holder, even though photos showed him pointing the weapon at Rittenhouse.
Grosskreutz has further admitted that he did not have a permit to conceal his weapon, even though he was doing so on the night of the shootings. And he denied a request by cops in September 2020 to interview him about the shootings.
During Thursday's appearance, the paramedic backtracked from his own courtroom testimony, where he admitted he pointed a gun at Rittenhouse, instead telling GMA that it was impossible for him to have aimed his weapon at the teen.
Gaige Grosskruetz said that Kyle Rittenhouse 'seemed like a child who’d just gotten caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to,' when the teen began sobbing during the trial
'My arm was being vaporized as I was allegedly pointing my weapon at the defendant,' Grosskruetz said, implying that it was impossible for him to have actually aimed his gun at Rittenhouse.
He and his lawyer, Kimberly Motely, have called Rittenhouse's testimony 'inconsistent' and said Grosskruetz had not been threatening the teen.
His comments come as the defense plans to move for a mistrial on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct after the teen's breakdown.
There is increasing speculation a mistrial will be declared, after trial judge Bruce Schroeder blasted Thomas Binger over his criticism of Rittenhouse's prior silence.
Kyle Rittenhouse broke down on the witness stand as he recalled the moment he was 'ambushed' by Joseph Rosenbaum the night he shot him dead
Rittenhouse had taken the stand in his own defense to tell the court that Rosembaum threatened to kill him twice and that a crowd ambushed him after he shot the man
Grosskruetz, who was armed when he encountered Rittenhouse, said he did not point the weapon at him despite testifying to the contrary in court
The case could also collapse over Binger's decision to bring up information about the teen's rifle that had been previously barred from court during Rittenhouse's cross examination.
Judge Bruce Schroeder chastised Binger for his conduct, and Rittenhouse's defense attorney Corey Chirafisi accused Binger of purposefully trying to trigger a mistrial to 'get another kick at the cat because the first trial is going badly.'
Binger also questioned Rittenhouse's decision to remain silent during cross-examination despite it being his Fifth Amendment right.
After he began sobbing on Wednesday when he recounted the fatal shootings of Rosenbaum and Huber in the 2020 Kenosha protests, Rittenhouse testified about his encounter with Grosskruetz.
According to Rittenhouse, he was being chased and attacked by a crowd after he killed Rosenbaum, and he shot at an unknown man who kicked him in the head and knocked him to the ground.
In his daze, he shot and killed Huber, who was attempting to take away Rittenhouse's AR-15 rifle.
Struggling to get up he said he saw Grosskreutz coming towards him, initially with his hands up. He said that he lowered his weapon and looked down but, he added, 'Mr. Grosskreutz lunges at me with his pistol pointed directly at my head.'
