Updated Aug. 31, 2026, 6:01 p.m. ET
A Sarasota gun shop has hired Kyle Rittenhouse, whose acquittal after he fatally shot two males and wounded a 3rd throughout 2020 unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, drew nationwide consideration.
Shark Coast Tactical just lately launched Rittenhouse on its podcast as the most recent member of the shop’s employees. Owner Will Meade known as him “illustrious” and a invaluable addition to the staff.
Rittenhouse was 17 in August 2020 when he shot and killed two men and wounded another with an AR-15-style rifle on the protest in Kenosha. The demonstration adopted the police capturing of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse joined a bunch of armed males who stated they had been defending companies.
He claimed self-defense, saying that a number of demonstrators attacked him, and was acquitted of all prices in November 2021.
Rittenhouse stated he and his spouse, Bella Rittenhouse, just lately moved to Sarasota after he accepted a job on the gun shop at 2819 Bee Ridge Road.
When the episode aired on Aug. 25, Rittenhouse stated he had been working on the shop for over a month. He advised Meade that he loved the Shark Coast Tactical staff’s “morale” and that he cherished working in Sarasota.
“This is my life now, and I love my life,” he stated. “I sell guns for a living. It’s fun.”
The introductory episode included Rittenhouse’s account of the protest, shootings and court docket trial. Asked whether or not controversy impacts his therapy by the general public or his office expertise, Rittenhouse answered, “I carry a gun and I shoot straight.”
The Herald-Tribune contacted Shark Coast Tactical for remark. Owner Will Meade stated, “I hired a kid who needed a job. He’s doing a great job, and is a great employee.”
Last 12 months, one other gun shop in Florida hired Rittenhouse. Gulf Coast Gun and Outdoors, a small enterprise in Milton, closed in late 2025 after 10 years in enterprise. There, Rittenhouse labored with the Northwest Florida gun shop to launch his signature “KR-15” rifle mannequin.
Chris Smith, proprietor of the now-closed retailer, stated in a February 2025 Facebook submit that Rittenhouse, whom he known as “the Kenosha kid,” was a full-time worker.
Who is Kyle Rittenhouse?
The Antioch, Illinois, native fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz at a protest in 2020. At the time, he confronted prices starting from intentional murder to reckless endangerment. A jury discovered him not responsible of all prices after he testified that he acted in self-defense.
Rittenhouse has since penned a ebook, “Acquitted,” and in early 2024, he set out on a sequence of Turning Point USA-sponsored college speaking occasions dubbed the “Rittenhouse Recap.” The talking engagements centered on “the importance of the Second Amendment and the lies of the Black Lives Matter movement,” in line with organizers quoted in earlier USA TODAY reporting.
USA TODAY’s Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Gina Lee Castro contributed to this report.
Kendal Asbury is the true property and improvement reporter for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Have an thought, tip or query about improvement? Send her an electronic mail at kasbury@usatodayco.com. Connect together with her on LinkedIn or observe her on Instagram @wordsbykendal, and assist local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune