Jury Reaches Verdict in Murder Trial of Kyle Rittenhouse
The jury has reached its decision in the case of the State of Wisconsin v. Kyle Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse has been found not guilty of all charges.
The 18-year-old faced various charges in relation to the shootings of three men, two of them fatally, during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020. Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz as rioters looted and damaged businesses in Kenosha in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Rittenhouse was 17 years old at the time of the incident.
Specifically, the teen was charged with the following crimes, according to The Associated Press.
- First-degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon
- First-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon
- Attempted first-degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18
- Failure to comply with an emergency order from state or local government
Rittenhouse was originally charged with another crime — failure to comply with an emergency order from state or local government — that was later dismissed by Judge Bruce Schroeder.
The prosecution has alleged that Rittenhouse was, in fact, the aggressor in the situation and unnecessarily shot the three men.
However, evidence found throughout the trial — including evidence provided by the prosecution’s own witnesses — appears to back up the defense’s claims that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.
One prosecution witness, Richard McGinniss — a video editor for The Daily Caller who was recording the rioting for his outlet — testified that Rosenbaum was lunging at Rittenhouse, attempting to grab his rifle, at the time he was shot.
In response, the prosecutor suggested there was no way McGinniss could have known what Rosenbaum had been attempting to do, saying McGinniss’ assertion that Rosenbaum had been going for the gun was an “interpretation” and “complete guesswork.”
This prompted McGinnis to reply, “Well, he said ‘f*** you’ and then he reached for the weapon.”
Another witness of the prosecution, Grosskreutz admitted he was pointing a handgun at Rittenhouse at the time he was shot.
WISCONSIN—Rittenhouse trial:
Defense: “With your arms up in the air, he never fired?”
Gaige Grosskreutz: “Correct.”
Defense: “It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him, with your gun…pointed at him that he fired?”
Grosskreutz: “Correct”.#KyleRittenhouse pic.twitter.com/BIU5K1aV6V
— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) November 8, 2021
Never-before-seen FBI aerial footage of the incident revealed during the trial also seemingly corroborated Rittenhouse’s story.
The footage shows three men — presumably Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz — chasing after Rittenhouse, with the defendant only beginning to fire as the men appear to be within mere feet of him.
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