by - Gaige Grosskreutz was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during a 2020 protest in Wisconsin.
- Grosskreutz this week filed a secret petition to change his legal name.
- Rittenhouse was acquitted of manslaughter after fatally shooting two people and wounding Grosskreutz.
A man shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, wants to change his name after receiving death threats for two years.
Gaige Grosskreutz filed a secret petition to change his legal name on Tuesday, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In a statement issued through his lawyer, Grosskreutz said: “Yes, after two years of death threats from far-right lunatics, I have made the difficult decision to change my name to protect myself and my family.”
Grosskreutz told CNN in September 2020 that he and members of his family — including his 65-year-old grandmother — have received death threats from Rittenhouse supporters.
“But the real story here is not that I am seeking to change my name, but that a process that is supposed to protect and protect those at risk was undermined and sealed information was released to the right-wing media within hours of my filing,” the statement continued. .
The newspaper reported that Grosskreutz requested an investigation by the Milwaukee County Circuit Court clerk after the sealed report was leaked to the Kenosha County Eye, which published the story Wednesday. The store is run by Kevin Mathewson, who used Facebook to organize a group to protect the city from disorder during the protests, according to the New York Times.
Mathewson denied having any contact with Rittenhouse during the Kenosha riots, the Times reported.
Kenosha County prosecutors charged Rittenhouse with two counts of murder, along with several other crimes. Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Grosskreutz amid civil unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and was fully acquitted on November 19, 2021, after arguing that he acted in self-defense.
During the trial, Grosskreutz told jurors that he attended the Kenosha protests because he was a trained EMT and paramedic and believed he could provide medical services to anyone injured.
Kimberley Motley, an attorney for Grosskreutz, requested records of those who had access to the report, The Journal reported.
Representatives for Grosskreutz, Mathewson and the Milwaukee County Clerk did not respond to Insider’s requests for comment prior to publication.
