Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges on Friday after he testified that he was acting in self-defense when he fatally shot two people, wounded one, and attempted to shoot two others during a protest against police brutality.
The jury acquitted Rittenhouse of first-degree reckless homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon, first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon, attempted first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon, and two counts of recklessly endangering.
The judge on Monday dismissed a charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 after the defense successfully argued that the length of the gun used by the minor in the case was not in line with the statute. The judge dismissed the curfew violation charge against Rittenhouse because the state didn't have enough evidence.
Immediately after his arrest, Rittenhouse was celebrated by some right-wing circles for pushing back against the racial justice protests that spread across the country during the summer of 2020. Right-wing figures like the McCloskeys and Rittenhouse supported each other during the trial and took photos with their supporters outside the courthouse.
The verdict came after 26 hours of deliberations and focused on a single question: Was Rittenhouse acting in self-defense when he fatally shot two people and wounded another during civil unrest?
The prosecution wanted to portray Rittenhouse as a person who came to the city with a plan to kill people. The defense said that the then 17-year-old wanted to defend businesses and people from rioters and only fired his weapon because he was afraid for his life.
Mark Richards, Rittenhouse's attorney, told reporters after the verdict that Rittenhouse did not start this. The jury finally got to hear the true story and we are thankful for that.
Civil unrest erupted in Kenosha in August of 2020 after a police officer shot a 29-year-old black man. Three of his children witnessed the shooting as they watched their father walk toward his car. His injuries left him paralyzed from the waist down. State prosecutors decided not to file charges against the officer who shot the man after evidence showed that he was armed with a knife.
After two nights of violent protests that resulted in arrests, property damage, and loot, Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha from his home in Illinois. In an interview that evening, he told the Daily Caller reporter that he came to the protests to protect private property and that he pretended to be an EMT. Protesters were shot and killed by Rittenhouse, and Gaige Grosskreutz was wounded.
Lawyers for both the prosecution and defense relied heavily on the video footage captured bystander and drones as they made their cases. The lawyers made opening and closing arguments as they questioned witnesses.
One of the videos shows a man throwing a bag at a man in the parking lot of a car dealership. In one of the videos, Rosenbaum lunges toward Rittenhouse. In the footage, Rittenhouse shoots four shots at close range, killing him. Additional videos show Rittenhouse being chased by a crowd. He is shown falling to the ground, at which point Huber approaches Rittenhouse, swinging a skateboard toward Rittenhouse's head in an apparent attempt to disarm him. Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber. Rittenhouse shoots Grosskreutz, wounding his arm, after Grosskreutz approaches with a pistol in his hand.
The defense claimed that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense. McGinnis told the court that Rosenbaum yelled "fuck you" and was attempting to take the gun from Rittenhouse when he was shot. Grosskreutz claimed that he did not intend to fire when he was wounded, but he did point his weapon at the teenager.
Rittenhouse told the court that he didn't do anything wrong.
He said he didn't intend to kill them. I intended to stop the people from attacking me. Rittenhouse said that he feared for his life when he was chased by Rosenbaum and didn't fire until he tried to take his weapon. Rittenhouse told the court that he shot Huber because he was trying to take his weapon while he was on the ground. He said that he thought Grosskreutz was a threat to his life because he pointed a pistol at him.
The jury was asked to consider Rittenhouse's true motives in his closing arguments.
Did he care about private property? Was he interested in helping people? He lied about being an EMT and ran around with an assault rifle. He's not there to support anyone. Why was he there?
Rittenhouse claimed that he acted in self-defense because he brought a weapon to a volatile environment. You lose the right to self-defense when you bring the gun. When you are the one creating the danger.
Rittenhouse's legal team accused Binger of lying and misrepresenting the events of August 25, 2020.
The burden of proof is on them. Richards said that the prosecution did not. They want it to be that Kyle was doing something wrong. Kyle was 17 years old and trying to help the community.
The pool of 18 potential jurors who sat through the trial did not know which 12 of them would decide Rittenhouse's fate until Tuesday morning, when their names were randomly selected in a lottery. Twenty potential jurors were initially selected, but two were dismissed during the course of the trial. There are two reasons for making a joke about the shooting of JacobBlake. The jury consisted of 7 women and 5 men, according to reporters in the courtroom. One of the men is Hispanic.
The parents of one of the two men killed by Rittenhouse were upset with the verdict reached by the jury Friday.
There is no accountability for the person who killed our son, the family said in a statement. It sends a bad message that armed civilians can show up in any town and cause trouble, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street.
Rittenhouse had acted in self-defense, but the family disagreed.
The parents said that no reasonable person could conclude that Mr. Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.
The family criticized the police of the city of Kenosha, who they said encouraged armed members of a self-proclaimed militia group into the streets and pushed protesters to where the militia members waited for them.
The second person killed by Rittenhouse was the man who hit the teenager with a skateboard and tried to disarm him.
David Hancock, a spokesman for Rittenhouse and his family, said "don't say victims" when asked if Rittenhouse had considered the impact of his trial on the families of his victims. The term "loaded" was used by the judge in the trial and attorneys were not allowed to refer to it.
Kyle and the family feel the reality of what happened here. That is not lost on them. And it has never been.
He and Richards told reporters that Rittenhouse has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the events from that night.
There are no winners and two people died. Nobody is spiking the football.
Richards told reporters that he doesn't think Rittenhouse will stay in the area.
Richards said that he aspires to be a nurse and that he has to get on with his life. I think some anonymity will come back to it.
The story was reported byStephanie K. Baer.
