Kyle Rittenhouse, center, looks over to his attorneys as the jury is fired for the day during his hearing at Kenosha County Courthouse on Thursday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Sean Krajacic / Pool / Getty Images
hide captions
switch captions
Sean Krajacic / Pool / Getty Images
Kyle Rittenhouse, center, looks over to his attorneys as the jury is fired for the day during his hearing at Kenosha County Courthouse on Thursday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Sean Krajacic / Pool / Getty Images
Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, who fatally shot two people during last year’s unrest in Kenosha, Wis., has been acquitted in a criminal trial that has divided the country over gun rights questions. , violence in protests demanding racial justice. and vigilance.
The ruling, delivered Friday, follows a closely watched trial in which prosecutors struggled to get over Rittenhouse’s claim that he acted in self-defence on the night of the discharge. guns.
In two weeks of testimony and evidence – which took place all day long by Rittenhouse himself – defense attorneys were able to convince a 12-person jury that the night of August 25, 2020, was fraught with danger. died later- 17 years old.
The jury deliberated for about 27 hours over the course of four days before declaring Rittenhouse not guilty on all five counts: first-degree murder, first-degree reckless murder, first-degree murder, and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. . The jury was also asked to consider lesser versions of some crimes, but were not shaken.
“While we are disappointed with the verdict, it must be respected. We are grateful to the members of the jury for their careful and thoughtful consideration,” the Kenosha County District Attorney’s office said in a statement. declare. “We ask that members of our community continue to express their opinions and feelings about this ruling in a civil and peaceful manner.”
Prosecutors declined to comment further.
Rittenhouse armed himself with an AR-15-style rifle during a night of unrest in Kenosha caused by the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was paralyzed after an encounter with a leather officer. White. Rittenhouse, who lives across the state line in Antioch, Ill., testified that he intended to act as a physician and help protect private property.
But the night spiraled out of control. In a series of chaotic encounters with protesters, well documented with photos and video, Rittenhouse shot dead Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, then 26 the age.
During the trial, Rittenhouse said he feared for his life in all three cases. Rosenbaum, he said, was chasing him and was grabbing his rifle.
“Mr. Rosenbaum was chasing me. He said he would kill me if he left me alone. I was alone. I ran away from him. I pointed the spear at him, and it didn’t stop me. he kept chasing me,” Rittenhouse testified.
Then, as he ran towards the police, others, including Huber and Grosskreutz, began to chase him. Huber hit him with a skateboard, photographic evidence confirms. Grosskreutz holding a loaded Glock pistol, which he admitted during cross-examination, was pointed at Rittenhouse, although he said it was accidental.
Prosecutors held that Rittenhouse was responsible for creating those situations. He chose to carry a deadly rifle into a dangerous environment, they said, and chose to stay there even after being separated from a friend.
Rosenbaum was unarmed, they pointed out, and yet Rittenhouse shot him four times, all while Rosenbaum was falling to the ground. Grosskreutz testified that he feared for his life, in the presence of Rittenhouse’s rifle, and was trying to disarm Rittenhouse rather than kill him. When asked in the witness stand what went through his mind during their meeting, Grosskreutz replied, “that I am going to die.”
But prosecutors also made the same mistake again and again, prompting defense attorneys to twice ask for a blunder, the first time with Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger questioning his right to remain silent. by Rittenhouse and a second about a drone video that prosecutors inadvertently compressed while sharing it with defense attorneys. .
In the end, the jurors were finally convinced by Rittenhouse’s version of events.
“Some people may be concerned about the decisions to bring Mr. Rittenhouse to Kenosha that evening and how he reacted. However, unless the state proves that this is unreasonable and he does not believe himself need to use deadly force in self-defense, then the only proper verdict is acquittal,” said Chris Zachar, criminal defense attorney based in La Crosse, Wis.
Rittenhouse can still be sued for damages in a civil trial, where the burden of proof is lower than in criminal trials.
In a statement, Huber’s parents, Karen Bloom and John Huber, said their son “will have a court date” and that they are “heartbroken and angry” at his acquittal.
“Today’s verdict means no accountability for our son’s killer. It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can turn up in any town. , inciting violence and then using the danger they created to justify shooting people in the street,” they said.
The case has sparked a wild reaction from the American public from the moment Rittenhouse fired his rifle that night.
Nearly every aspect of the case touches on some of the country’s most controversial errors: Second Amendment rights, the right to self-defense, violence at protests for racial justice, morale awareness and awareness of how the police and justice system treat whites and people of color differently.
Advocates see Rittenhouse as a gun rights activist who bravely stood up to protect the community from what they see as lawless riots. Opponents instead saw an irresponsible vigilante coming to Kenosha to play the police officer – a “chaotic tourist”, as Binger put it.
“What comes to mind is commenting, ‘How do you stop an active shooter? Good people with guns.’ In this case, you have Mr. Rittenhouse, who fired four shots at someone unarmed and then went on to shoot everyone,” Zachar said. “Who’s the good guy? Who’s the bad guy in that scenario? No, nobody really knows.”
Over the past two weeks, the trial has gained national attention – in no small part thanks to the fact that nearly every minute of the proceedings has been widely broadcast on TV and livestream video. Everyone from LeBron James come Marjorie Taylor Greene consider before sentencing.
