A grand jury on Friday found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty of all charges related to his shooting of three men on August 25, 2020.
Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, Gaige Grosskreutz and Rittenhouse arrived at the scene of unrest in Kenosha that night for different reasons. Protesters gathered there to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was left half-paralyzed after being shot by police.
Rittenhouse, then 17, said he traveled from his home in Antioch, Ill., to protect personal property and help as a doctor.
As the protests turned violent and destructive, Rittenhouse fatally shot Rosenbaum and Huber, and wounded Grosskreutz, with an assault rifle.
More than a year later, a jury found him not guilty on five counts, including first-degree murder, in a case that charmed and divided a nation.
Here’s what we know about the three men shot by Rittenhouse:
Joseph Rosenbaum
Joseph Rosenbaum was the first person Rittenhouse shot that tumultuous night.
Rosenbaum fell into disarray after being discharged from a hospital in Milwaukee, his fiancée, Kariann Swart, testified at the trial.
The 36-year-old was passing Rittenhouse in an old car park when Rittenhouse brandished an AR-15-style rifle. Rosenbaum, meanwhile, was unarmed and carried a plastic bag containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, deodorant and some paperwork.
According to Rittenhouse’s attorneys, Rosenbaum approached Rittenhouse and attempted to have sex with him. Frightened, Rittenhouse fled and Rosenbaum gave chase. Videos of the incident show Rosenbaum eventually throwing the plastic bag he was carrying at the Rittenhouse, who responded by firing four shots at the man.
During the trial, Rittenhouse and another witness said Rosenbaum reached for Rittenhouse’s gun.
Swart testified that she and Rosenbaum were living in a motel at the time of Rosenbaum’s murder, and that the couple had been homeless at times. She also described Rosenbaum’s mental health problems, saying he was taking antidepressants and medication to treat his bipolar disorder. He was in a hospital after a suicide attempt.
“We just spent a lot of time talking, getting to know each other, and laughing and joking. He was such a talkative person,” she said.
Kariann Swart, the late fiancée of Joseph Rosenbaum, testified during Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial on November 5 in Kenosha, Wis.
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Kariann Swart, the late fiancée of Joseph Rosenbaum, testified during Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial on November 5 in Kenosha, Wis.
Image Sean Krajacic-Pool / Getty
Rosenbaum was raised in Texas and Arizona, according to washington articles. The newspaper reported that Rosenbaum said he was sexually abused by a stepfather and spent most of his adult life in prison starting at the age of 18 for having sex with five boys. ten years old.
His mother was sent to prison when he was 13 and Rosenbaum started using heroin and methamphetamine at a group home where he was sent, Post reported.
Swart charged Rosenbaum in July 2020 after an altercation in which he assaulted her, the newspaper reported. But she was ready to reconcile, told Post that he had told her: “I want to fix things. …I want to make myself right.”
According to the newspaper, Rosenbaum already has a young daughter from a previous relationship and he says he is fighting for the right to see her.
Swart told reporters after the verdict: “I feel like in this case the lives of the victims don’t matter. And I don’t think that’s acceptable.”
Anthony Huber
Rittenhouse panicked and fled the scene of the fatal shooting, toward a police line.
But along the way, some protesters who believed Rittenhouse to be an active gunman began to chase him. Anthony Huber is among them.
The 26-year-old, who grew up in Kenosha and is an avid skater, was at the rally with his girlfriend Hannah Gittings.
“He pushed me away and ran. I tried to grab him”, Gittings told CNN last year.
Huber eventually caught up with Rittenhouse and tried to stop him by hitting him with a skateboard. But one hit wasn’t enough to take Rittenhouse down.
Within seconds of the commotion, Rittenhouse fired a fatal shot at Huber, who can be seen stumbling away and then collapsing to the ground in video footage of the incident.
One obituary described Huber as an artistic young man with quick intelligence, whose favorite sport was skateboarding.
He died as a hero fighting for the cause he believed in,” it wrote.
Follow PostHuber and Gittings went to the scene of the unrest to document the protests for posterity. Huber is a friend of Jacob Blake.
Huber was jailed twice, first for violating probation after strangling his brother and again for kicking his sister, Post reported.
He spent a lot of time at the local skate park and also struggled with bipolar disorder. He died just days after his birthday, according to an obituary.
After Rittenhouse acquitted, Gittings told reporters she was not surprised by the verdict, according to CNN.
“I don’t think any of us who were directly involved in what happened on the 25th of last year were really surprised. We knew that the system was a failure,” she said. “Personally, I’m not particularly surprised by the outcome of this ruling.”
Huber’s parents released a statement saying they were “heartbroken and angry” about being acquitted but their son “will have a court date.” Huber’s parents filed a lawsuit against the city of Kenosha and Kenosha County. Rittenhouse can now also face civil lawsuits.
Gaige Grosskreutz
Gaige Grosskreutz was shot and wounded by Kyle Rittenhouse. He testified on November 8.
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Gaige Grosskreutz was shot and wounded by Kyle Rittenhouse. He testified on November 8.
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Grosskreutz, along with Huber, were among those who pursued Rittenhouse after he shot and killed Rosenbaum. Prosecutors have said the group believes Rittenhouse is an active gunman.
Grosskreutz was armed with a pistol that night. But he also has his medical supplies, all of which are standard for him to bring to the protest, he testified. He was there that night to help with medical care. He participated in dozens of protests over the summer.
Grosskreutz said he did not intentionally point his weapon at Rittenhouse, but during cross-examination agreed it was pointed at Rittenhouse at the time he was shot.
Rittenhouse shot Grosskreutz in the hand. Grosskreutz said he lost 90% of his right biceps.
According to the sheet Post. He then switched to majoring in outdoor education at Northland College. He joined the protests that summer after finishing his internship, joining forces with an activist group called People’s Revolution and helping with medical care at the protests. .
After the shooting, Grosskreutz File a lawsuit Allegations that city officials and law enforcement knew, supported, and cooperated with armed vigilantes on the night of the shooting.
Grosskreutz did not comment publicly after the ruling. His lawyer said he was seeking privacy after all the attention over the past year. WTMJ-TV.
