Gun rights advocate Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, was hospitalized after being bitten by a venomous spider.
The 23-year-old shared photos from his hospital bed Wednesday and told his followers on social media that he was bitten by a brown recluse.
“The communists couldn't take me out and i'll be damned if I let a brown recluse take me out,” Rittenhouse said, along with images of himself attached to an IV and another showing the swollen bite mark.
Rittenhouse boasted that the spider “did not survive” in a follow-up post.
“The spider, like the commies, also thought it was a good idea to come after me while I was armed,” he said.
It was not immediately clear when or where the incident took place. His well-wishers included right-wing activist Jack Posobiec and GOP Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
“Disappointed I’m not Spider-Man now…” the gun rights advocate also joked.
Brown recluse spiders, also known as violin or fiddleback spiders, are most commonly found in Southern, Western, and Midwestern parts of the U.S., according to Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center.
Fatalities from the spider bites are extremely rare, but if left untreated patients can experience a painful wound that can lead to scarring, according to medics.
The arachnids, found indoors and outdoors, typically live in hot, dry and dark areas, and may be hiding in attics and basements among boxes. The spider is not typically aggressive, and normally only bites when disturbed or threatened, according to advice from the Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital in Louisiana.
Rittenhouse first made headlines nearly six years ago when, as a 17-year-old, he turned up to a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, armed with an AR-15 style rifle.
The protests followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot several times in the back by police as he was walking away. Blake, a father, is still alive but was paralyzed from the waist down as a result.
Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and injured paramedic Gaige Grosskreutz, but was acquitted of all charges after claiming self-defense.
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