Antifa militant who shot first at Kyle Rittenhouse sentenced to 3 years over Kenosha robbery

In the heat of the 2020 riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Joshua Ziminski fired a "warning shot" just before Kyle Rittenhouse shot three men in self-defense. Ziminski was out of bail for his involvement in the riots when he and his wife went on the crime spree that earned them 7 felony charges.

The pair were originally charged with Felony Armed Robbery, Felony Armed Burglary, Felony False Imprisonment, Felony Intimidation of Victim, Felony ID Theft, and Misdemeanor Battery. Independently, Joshua caught a charge of Felony Bail-Jumping, while Kelly was charged with Probation Hold.

The charges stemmed from an incident that took place on August 26, 2022, when a man identified the Ziminskis as two of three people who had tried to rob him that morning. The victim's statement said Joshua ordered him out of his house and into their truck while armed with a knife.

After attempting several ATMs where his account would not release any money, he escaped to a gas station and they called 911. In the court documents, the man claimed they "threatened to kill him and bury him in a basement where no one would find him."

The Ziminskis claimed that they were trying to get the money that the man owed Kelly for her cleaning his house. Joshua denied having a weapon on him. Kelly was on probation and Joshua was out on bond pending trial for charges of Arson (Felony), Disorderly Conduct / Use of a Dangerous Weapon (Misdemeanor), and Obstructing an officer during the 2020 riots.

During the riots, Joshua Ziminski was captured on video firing his gun into the air just before Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum in what was ultimately ruled as self-defense. All charges in connection to the 2020 riots against Ziminski were eventually dropped.