The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse ended in Wisconsin in a full acquittal. Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Illinois teen, traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin in Summer 2020. Rittenhouse claimed his intent was to protect property and render first aid. While in Kenosha, Rittenhouse shot two men and wounded a third. He shot Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, four times. Rosenbaum died shortly after the incident. At a different location, Anthony Hubert, 26, was shot once. Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was severely wounded. All three men were either killed or injured while attempting to disarm Rittenhouse. The Wisconsin State Police arrested him.
Rittenhouse’s activities occurred after the shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake was shot seven times in the back by Rusten Sheskey, a white Kenosha officer, during a domestic altercation with his girlfriend. Blake is currently paralyzed from the waist down. Officer Sheskey was exonerated of all wrongdoing The shooting, like the George Floyd’s killing, which was also caught on videotape. Protests erupted in Kenosha. The events for which Rittenhouse was charged occurred on the third night of protests in the city.
The Rittenhouse trial began on November 10th. Rittenhouse faced a six count indictment, later reduced to five counts. During pretrial hearings, Judge Bruce Schroder, in what was largely viewed as a setback to the prosecution, ruled that the word victims could not be used in relation to those killed or injured. Schroder did allow looters and rioters as descriptors for protest participants. The first witness for the defense was an individual who witnessed the shooting events. The witness told the judge that Rittenhouse was “badly shaken” after the shooting. He also repeated the words, “My life might be over.” Another witness described Rittenhouse as pale, shaking, stammering, and sweating after the events.
Rittenhouse took the stand in his own defense and provided a tearful reconstruction of his actions. Rittenhouse testified that Rosenbaum and another man, Joshua Ziminski, verbally threatened him. He heard Ziminski allegedly tell Rosenbaum “to get him and kill him.” Rittenhouse subsequently shot Rosenbaum.
The Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger cross-examined Rittenhouse. Binger asked Rittenhouse several times whether it was fair to use deadly force while “protecting property.” Rittenhouse replied that it was unlawful to use deadly force in those circumstances. The cross-examination received multiple cautions from the judge. Rittenhouse admitted that he used the semi-automatic weapon only because it looked “cool” and not due to its lethal nature. Most observers agree that most of the prosecution witnesses gave testimony which helped the prosecution. Others felt they relied to heavily on video footage, which can be difficult to interpret.
Most observers agree that the Rittenhouse case will fuel debates in the United States about vigilantism, self-defense, and the right to bear arms. While Rittenhouse’s attorneys stated their client wants to go on with his life, Rittenhouse has made several public appearances. He has stated that race was not a factor in the shootings and justified defending himself.
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This post was previously published on historianspeaks.org .
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