Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and injured another during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisc. was acquitted by a jury.
Both sides wrapped up closing arguments on Monday in a polarizing trial that garnered national and international attention over the issues of gun violence, vigilantism and second-amendment rights. The jury came to a verdict on Friday afternoon.
As the not guilty verdicts were being read out loud, Rittenhouse began visibly shaking and crying. Once all the not guilty verdicts had been read, Rittenhouse fell down and then hugged one of his lawyers.
The trial, which began on Nov. 2 and ran until Nov. 15, saw the prosecution lay out a case which argued Rittenhouse was the provocateur of violence which led to him shooting and killing two people and injuring a third. The defence argued that Rittenhouse was acting in self-defence to escape a mob chasing him.
Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, traveled to Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, his lawyer said, to protect property from racial justice protests which began following the death of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot by a white Kenosha police officer on Aug. 23. Rittenhouse and all the victims were white.
The shooting of Blake was the latest police shooting of a Black person in the Spring and Summer 2020, which led to the social justice protests across the world.
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A total of eighteen jurors listened to the trial proceedings with twelve ultimately being selected randomly to decide Rittenhouse’s not guilty verdict. If he was found guilty, Rittenhouse faced a mandatory life sentence in prison for first-degree homicide.
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Rittenhouse’s lawyers pointed to video evidence that showed 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum chasing him, and said 26-year-old Anthony Huber had attempted to attack him, which led to the two fatal shootings. The defence also argued that Gaige Grosskreutz, a 26-year-old was not only carrying a gun, but had pointed it at Rittenhouse’s head. They added that Rittenhouse was only in Kenosha to protect local businesses from the damage previous days of protests had caused.
Videos showed Rittenhouse attempting to flee and being chased by a crowd including Rosenbaum, who he first shot and killed. Then Rittenhouse shot and killed Huber, who had swung a skateboard at him. Finally, Grosskreutz is seen on video moving towards Rittenhouse with his hands in the air while holding a gun. Rittenhouse’s team argued that Grosskreutz had pointed the gun in the vicinity of their client before Rittenhouse shot him in the arm.
Rittenhouse’s testimony saw the now 18-year-old struggle to get through sentences and break down crying in front of the jury. On the stand, Rittenhouse reiterated his stance that he was only protecting himself whenever pressed by the prosecution.
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The prosecution relied on showcasing Rittenhouse as being the aggressor. They noted that it was Rittenhouse who pointed a weapon at a largely unarmed crowd and escalated tensions. The county attorney said Rittenhouse created a sense of fear and intimidation amongst protestors which in turn led them to feel a need to disarm him or face serious consequences. They added by aiming his AR-15 at people in the crowd, Rittenhouse had effectively lost the right to self-defence.
Judge Bruce Schroeder, who presided over the Rittenhouse trial, became one of the major talking points throughout the two weeks of proceedings. The veteran judge offered long explanations of his interjections and reasonings of how he arrived at a decision. Another time, Schroder ordered those in the courtroom to give one of the witnesses, a veteran, a round of applause for their service. And as the jury was being selected, Schroeder allowed Rittenhouse to blindly draw the names of the jurors, which is normally done by judge.
After the verdict was read, Schroeder complimented the jurors prior to giving them the notice of their obligation to the media.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better jury to work for… — without commenting on the verdicts themselves — just in terms of the attentiveness and cooperation you gave to us,” he said. Schroeder told the jury that there are a number of media requests to speak to jurors, but there is no obligation ever to speak about any aspect of the case with anyone. He advised the jury that if they need support or if there are threats of violence, they should get in touch with the court.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has asked for calm and said 500 National Guards are on standby if things turn violent in Kenosha.
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