Ahead of a visit to the US state of Wisconsin, Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden has called for the officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times to be charged.
The shooting sparked days of unrest in the small city of Kenosha in the midwestern state, during which two people were killed, although tensions have calmed in recent days.
"Let's make sure justice is done," Mr Biden said, weighing in on the ongoing investigation.
US President Donald Trump was in Kenosha on Tuesday and pledged support for law enforcement and local businesses hit by looting.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event. Source: AP
The shooting is still under investigation, with police indicating there was an altercation during an attempt to arrest Mr Blake.
Mr Biden's campaign said he will conduct a community meeting aimed at helping people "heal".
Mr Trump has struck a radically different tone during the protests, branding anti-racism demonstrations "domestic terror" by violent mobs.
Mr Trump has been hoping for months to shift the election battle against Mr Biden - from a verdict on his widely panned handling of the coronavirus pandemic to what he sees as far more comfortable territory of law and order.
"These are not acts of peaceful protest but really domestic terror," Mr Trump said after touring damage in the city, describing multiple nights of angry demonstrations last week that left two people dead.
Democrats and police reform advocates see Kenosha as a symbol of institutional racism.
They see Rittenhouse, a Trump supporter, as emblematic of right-wing militias that are increasingly brazen about brandishing weaponry in political settings and attempting to act as amateur law enforcers.
Mr Trump, however, comes with a different priority: countering what he has repeatedly described as the "anarchy" in Democratic-led cities.
But Mr Trump controversially has refused to condemn the growing presence of armed vigilantes and militias on the streets, calling the alleged killings by Rittenhouse "an interesting situation."
Mr Trump has accused Mr Biden of weakness on the spate of violent protests in cities like Kenosha and Portland, seeking to paint the Democrat as incapable of controlling the party's left wing.
