USA Today falsely claims Jacob Blake is dead in story about Kyle Rittenhouse fundraiser

USA Today reported that a conservative gun rights group has raised over $50,000 for the alleged teenage Kenosha gunman "amid protests following the fatal police shooting of Jacob Blake." However, the black shooting victim is very much alive, but paralyzed.

The National Foundation for Gun Rights (NFGR), based in Loveland, Colorado, sent a check for more than $50,000 to 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse for "defending himself and business owners," the organization announced Thursday.

"The left is doing everything in their power to portray a 17-year-old kid as the villain," said NFGR executive director Dudley Brown in a press release. "We believe Kyle acted legally and defended himself from a dangerous group of armed thugs whose clear intent was to cause permanent harm."

Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, is facing six charges, including one count of first-degree intentional homicide that would sentence him to life in prison if convicted. The teenager is being charged as an adult in Wisconsin.

“If he were getting a fair shake from prosecutors, he would be home with his family right now instead of spending weeks in a jail without bail," Brown continued.

Other accusations levelled against Rittenhouse include first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, and one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

The gun lobby donation came a month after supporters of Rittenhouse launched a GoFundMe to aid his legal defense fees, then site administrators took the campaign down and refunded the donations.

Meanwhile, Blake has received an upwards of $2 million on the crowdfunding platform seeking "justice for Jacob."

And while Black Lives Matter activists have framed the young black man's shooting as racially charged, Blake had an outstanding arrest warrant revealing a restraining order violation brought forward by his ex-girlfriend. Blake is alleged to have sexually assaulted her, and is currently facing criminal charges.

At the article's conclusion, USA Today clarifies that Blake is now paralyzed; however, the characterization of the officer-involved shooting as "fatal" has not been corrected by the time of publication.