The 26-year-old man killed in Kenosha shooting tried to protect those around him, his girlfriend says

Anthony Huber was armed with nothing but his skateboard when he spotted an armed person among a crowded street in Kenosha, Wisconsin, but he still ran toward the danger, his girlfriend says.

“He pushed me out of the way, like he was telling me to run off, and I tried to grab him,” Hannah Gittings told CNN. “I should have been there, but there was going to be no changing his mind.”

Huber and his girlfriend were in Kenosha late Tuesday night amid widespread protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Tuesday marked the third night of demonstrations in the city. Just before midnight, officers responded to shots fired. Kenosha police later announced two people had been fatally shot and a third injured. Among the victims was 26-year-old Huber.

Police have named 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse as a suspect in the shooting and he now faces homicide charges as well as a felony charge for attempted homicide. A criminal complaint identified the other victim as Joseph D. Rosenbaum and a third person, Gaige P. Grosskreutz, who was shot in the arm.

Gittings says Huber launched at the armed individual to protect her and the people nearby.

“He did a … heroic thing.”

According to a criminal complaint, Huber reached for the suspect’s gun with his hand while holding the skateboard in the other. As Huber tried to grab the gun, the suspect pointed it at his body and fired one round, the complaint says. Huber was seen staggering away and then fell to the ground. He died from his gunshot wound, according to the complaint.

Gittings says Huber was “completely indescribable” and stood by his beliefs and convictions.

“He did not deserve to die,” Gittings said. “This kid just snatched any chance for him to have been able to live the life that he deserved to live.”

‘I just killed somebody’

Huber was killed as the suspect fled the scene of Rosenbaum’s shooting, according to the complaint.

The suspect had clashed with a crowd that was gathered near a car dealership and Rosenbaum, who was unarmed, threw an object that appeared to be a plastic bag at him and missed, according to the complaint.

Rosenbaum and the suspect moved across the parking lot and appeared to be in close proximity when loud bangs suddenly rang out and Rosenbaum fell to the ground, according to the complaint.

A reporter following close behind approached Rosenbaum, who was on the ground, and attempted to render aid.

As Rosenbaum lay on the ground, the suspect made a call on his cellphone and said, “I just killed somebody” as he ran away, the complaint alleged.

A man shot in the arm

The suspect also shot and injured Grosskreutz, who approached him shortly after Huber was shot, according to the complaint.

When the suspect shot Huber, Grosskreutz froze, ducked to the ground and took a step back, according to the complaint. He puts his hands in the air and then began to move toward the suspect, the complaint says. The suspect fired one shot, hitting Grosskreutz in the arm, according to the complaint.

Grosskreutz ran away from the scene, screaming for a medic, according to the complaint.

Kimberley Motley, an attorney for Grosskreutz, told CNN in a statement that her client “is continuing to undergo medical treatment and process the events.”

“We are resolved to move forward to ensure that ALL parties who were involved in the Kenosha killings and the circumstances that led to them are held accountable. We believe that what occurred was by no means the result of the actions of only one teenaged individual,” Motley said.