so this provides a few answers to questions that have been floating around over the last few days https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/attorneys-representing-kyle-rittenhouse-say-he-was-wrongfully-charged-after-acting-in-self-defense

1. where were this kid's parents?

they had dropped him off in Kenosha as a lifeguard, and he had been staying with friends.

2. where did a 17 year old get an AR-15?

a friend had given it to him, not brought illegally across state lines, but the friend will have charges brought

3. why were the people with guns even there?

the business owner explicitly asked them to help defend the gas station, as his store had already been burned down. this wasn't some random patrol by men with guns

also relevant is that we now know what started off the conflict for the first shooting.

rioters had set a garbage bin on fire and were pushing it towards police cars, and Rittenhouse ran by and put out the fire with an extinguisher

what happens next is the first shooting victim gets upset and begins chasing Kyle, throwing stuff at him, and now we have witness statements saying he was trying to grab the gun away from Kyle

if more comes out on this i'll post updates