Kyle Rittenhouse shooting survivor wants revenge: “He’s a fraud”

A man who survived being shot by Kyle Rittenhouse almost four years ago has branded him a “fraud” in an exclusive interview with Newsweek.

Rittenhouse, now 21, came to public attention in August 2020 when, at the age of 17, he shot and killed two men—Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26—as well as injured then 26-year-old Paul Prediger at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse said the three shootings, carried out with a semi-automatic AR-15-style firearm, were in self-defense. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest where the shootings took place was held after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot by a white police officer.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges in November 2021, including charges of first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, and two charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. Rittenhouse later said he supported the BLM movement, adding that he was at the demonstration to “protect businesses and provide medical assistance.”

Prediger, who legally changed his name from Gaige Grosskreutz following what he described as post-trial harassment, told Newsweek in a telephone conversation that his life continues to be negatively impacted by the incident.

“It’s been, for lack of a better term, pretty s*****,” Prediger said of how things have panned out in the years after being shot in the bicep at the protest. Prediger, who was also armed said he attempted to stop Rittenhouse from doing any further damage. He told Newsweek that he attended the protest to provide medical assistance.

Following his name change in 2022, Prediger said that he managed to live in relative anonymity until he was struck by a car in a hit-and-run in September of 2023 and his details became public knowledge.

“I’m traumatized from it still,” he shared of the shooting and the resulting public reaction to him, which he said fell largely down political lines. “I mean, I’m still working through PTSD, depression, anxiety and being able to trust people, and being comfortable in public, frankly.

“People recognize me still. I think I’m much more a man of many faces compared to Kyle Rittenhouse. He’s pretty distinguishable; he’s got the baby face and all that. I’m still in physical pain, I’ve learned to work through it. But I’m missing a portion of my arm.”

Newsweek contacted Rittenhouse via social media for comment on April 5 and was referred to his attorney. Newsweek contacted Rittenhouse’s attorney via email on April 5, April 8, and April 12, but had not received a response by the time of publication. If he responds, this article will be updated.

Aftermath of the Shooting

Given that many of his relatives support presumptive Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump, Prediger said he doesn’t “talk to pretty much anybody in my family anymore because of this. I mean, obviously, I still talk to my mom. She loves me, she supports me and believes in what I’m doing and believes that I’m right.

“But you know, there’s like the physical and mental trauma, but it’s all this s*** that comes with it. It’s hard to find a job, I’ve always got to double-check what I’m doing or who I give my phone number out to, who I let know where I live—things like that. Because all it takes is just one person to jeopardize your privacy…”

Prediger, who is now employed as a college instructor, said he would like to see Rittenhouse be held accountable. He has filed civil action for the shooting against Rittenhouse, with the case currently in the discovery stage.

“Rittenhouse says that he has PTSD or he has trouble being out in public space, and I don’t believe that, because he’s been out speaking since he was acquitted,” Prediger said. “Everybody processes PTSD differently. I’m not here trying to say that he wasn’t affected by what he did. Unless you’re just some completely effective sociopath, you’ll feel something for having to shoot and kill somebody.

“But I just, I don’t know. He had his right to do what he did—what he had to do. But I’m not believing that he was really negatively affected from this. I think Kyle Rittenhouse is the only person who came out on top in this situation. He should have been held accountable. And I’m not just saying that to be biased because he shot me. But I digress.”

Second Amendment Hero

Prediger said that he has taken issue with Rittenhouse becoming something of a Second Amendment hero and influencer off the back of the shootings and his subsequent trial. Prediger suggested that Rittenhouse is merely “parroting” the beliefs and thoughts of others.

“Objectively, I think he’s an idiot,” Prediger said, with a sigh. “Unfortunately, he is like a poster boy. He is this young, gun-loving Republican who is going on these speaking tours with [Turning Point USA founder and president] Charlie Kirk.

“I think, at the end of the day, he’s a fraud, in the sense of what does Kyle Rittenhouse even know about gun laws, apart from whatever the adults in his life told him? Whether it’s his attorneys or fans or other politicians. I mean, I don’t think the kid has an original thought at all, and [is] parroting what he’s been told. But that’s because this is the only group—you know, right-wing extremists—that will accept him.”

Rittenhouse, who recently advertised a body armor kit named after him, documented the circumstances surrounding the 2020 shootings in his book, Acquitted. The book was released in November and has been described as a “story of survival, resilience, and justice.”

“I never wanted to be a public figure,” a blurb for the book reads. “I was homeless as a small child and raised in government-subsidized housing. My goal was to be a cop or a paramedic.

“I went to Kenosha to help my community—not become a whipping boy in the national debate. In less than three minutes, the direction of my life was horribly altered when I was forced to defend myself with deadly force. So much was said and written about me that was not true.”

Poster Boy

Rittenhouse’s rise, Prediger told Newsweek, is “pretty par for the course. I think he is a good poster boy. He’s essentially lived out a fantasy that I feel like a lot of Americans probably have, where they get to justifiably defend themselves with force against rioters and protesters, especially given the climate of the country in 2020. I think it’s definitely dangerous rhetoric, especially with our election coming up.”

“You know, this is some ineffectual [21]-year-old,” Prediger said of Rittenhouse. “He’s a dumb kid… And then you have him going to the campuses about what? Nothing important. I’ve seen his little speeches that he does—half of it is just him talking about, ‘Oh, I’m such a victim. I had to defend myself that night.’ That’s not true. It’s just not, you know, but the evidence that I’m finding has proven to be not the case.”

Rittenhouse has embarked on a series of speaking engagements. Last month, he attracted headlines after departing the stage at the University of Memphis after some students confronted him about comments made by Turning Point USA‘s Kirk. When asked about a host of “racist” remarks that Kirk had made, Rittenhouse, who was invited to speak by the college’s Turning Point USA chapter, told his jeering audience that he was “not gonna comment on that.”

In videos shared on social media, Rittenhouse was then abruptly seen exiting the stage, leading to claims that his departure was caused by the line of questioning. Rittenhouse denied this at the time, telling Newsweek in a statement: “The event was scheduled for 30 minutes. I spoke for 30 minutes and then my security team told the coordinator that we were leaving after the question, and we left. I stayed for my scheduled time.”

Andrew Kolvet, spokesperson for Turning Point USA, said at the time: “Kyle didn’t storm off, he waited to see if the protesters would allow him to speak. When it was apparent there was no hope of a constructive dialogue, he told the audience it would be his last question, then ended the Q+A and proceeded to address TPUSA students in a private room for 2 [hours] answering their questions and taking pictures.”

‘Dangerous’ Agenda

“I saw it,” Prediger told Newsweek of the video footage from the event. “I mean, that just illustrates my point right there. He has no original thought. The kid can’t debate obviously—he can’t even handle simple Q&A. And I think when he is confronted with the reality of the situation, he runs away. He runs back to those people that will coddle him and stroke his ego. ‘Oh no, they’re just a bunch of liars; BLM protesters. They don’t know what they’re talking about.’ I mean, he’s a child.”

Does Prediger at least believe that Rittenhouse deserves a platform to serve an audience whose views align? “No, absolutely not,” Prediger responded. “I mean, he brings nothing of value to any discussion. And I’m not saying I’m anti-Second Amendment, or any of that. I’m just saying, what does [Rittenhouse] have to add to the conversation about gun control?

“What, because he shot a few people? I think it’s just dangerous to put somebody at the forefront who really doesn’t know what they’re talking about. He has no real-world experience apart from that night. And that doesn’t make you an expert [for] talking about gun control. But people who do know what they’re talking about and do have an agenda to push, they understand that Rittenhouse will get the clicks, get the views, get the money going in. But I do not believe for one second that anybody takes him seriously.”

Prediger said that if he and Rittenhouse ever came face-to-face, he’d likely greet him with “a solid, ‘F*** you.’ Had you asked me this question two years ago, my response would have been a little more sympathetic, but no. Anything I need to say to him, I’ll say at the civil trial—and I don’t mean like in a childish, petty kind of way. But there’s nothing that I need to say to him personally. It’s just my goal to take him down on this trial, and show the world what he is. And I think that’ll speak enough within itself.”