Teenager cleared of killing two men during Wisconsin protests

Video: Kyle Rittenhouse Acquitted of All Charges

A teenager has been found not guilty of killing two men and attempting to kill a third during a protest in Wisconsin.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, was arrested and charged last year after the widely publicized incident in Kenosha during protests sparked by the shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake, by a white police officer in August 2020.

When the verdict was read, he burst into tears, while the jurors remained stoic and emotionless.

The families of those injured by gunshots held hands and cried.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, had come from the neighboring state of Illinois.

He told the court that a local business owner asked him to help protect the community.

The 12-person jury was selected from a larger group of 18 people who listened to testimony over two weeks.

In an unusual move, marking the end of a trial full of suspense and drama, Rittenhouse himself was asked to select jurors by pulling six pieces of paper with their names from a lottery cup – a task usually performed by a court clerk. .

The six jurors he selected were designated as alternate jurors while the other 12 became deliberating jurors.

The jury was asked to consider two very conflicting accounts that led to the shooting of the three men.

Prosecutors had argued that Rittenhouse was an “aspiring soldier” and vigilante who traveled to Kenosha to cause trouble at the protest.

Prosecutor Thomas Binger had claimed that the teenager had caused a chain of deadly events by bringing a legally owned AR15 automatic rifle to a demonstration, moving like “a hero in a western” and that he was “looking for trouble.”

Watch: Jacob Blake's family and activists speak out after the verdict

At the protest, Rittenhouse first shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, who was unarmed.

He then shot Anthony Huber, 26, who had hit the defendant with a skateboard. He was also killed.

The third man to be shot, Gaige Grosskreutz, 28, was carrying a pistol.

He was injured and testified for the prosecution.

The court was shown drone footage which the prosecution said showed the defendant pointing his gun at people.

“It’s a provocation,” said the prosecutor. “That’s what started this incident.”

Rittenhouse's attorney, Mark Richards, argued that his client was acting in self-defense after being attacked at the protest.

Mr. Richards said Rittenhouse went to town to act as a doctor and protect his property.

The defense had called Rittenhouse's first target a “crazy man.”

Mr. Richards argued that Joseph Rosenbaum ambushed the defendant who feared his rifle would be confiscated and used against him.

At times during the proceedings, Rittenhouse fell into tears as he gave his own testimony.

In the hours before the verdict, Wisconsin's governor issued a statement calling for calm regardless of the court's decision.

Governor Tony Evers said, “Kenoshans are strong, resilient and have worked hard to heal and rebuild together over the past year. Any effort to sow division and hinder healing is not welcome in Kenosha and Wisconsin. Regardless of the outcome of this case, I call for peace in Kenosha and throughout our state.”

On Twitter, Mr. Evers added: “Please respect the Kenosha community and their efforts to come together. I ask that all who choose to gather and exercise their First Amendment rights in every community do so safely and peacefully. »

About 500 members of the Wisconsin National Guard were placed on standby at an undisclosed location, 60 miles from the city, to intervene on orders from the governor.

The units will not be deployed unless requested by the city's local police. Their role will be limited to protecting locations considered critical infrastructure and cultural institutions.

City residents are on edge after experiencing significant unrest last summer following Police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake.

The shooting — one of several police shootings against the black community last year — sparked widespread protests in Kenosha.

In his closing instructions to jurors, Judge Bruce Schroeder explained that to accept Rittenhouse's claim of self-defense, they must accept that he believed there was an unlawful threat against him and that the force he used was “reasonable and necessary.”