![]() 23, 2020, after a police officer shot a 29-year-old Black man named Jacob Blake in the back. “We’re thankful in more ways than one that the jury finally got to hear the true story.”Ĭivil unrest erupted in Kenosha on Aug. ![]() “He wishes none of this would have ever happened but as he said … he did not start this,” Rittenhouse’s attorney Mark Richards told reporters shortly after the verdict. The defense maintained that the then-17-year-old wanted to defend businesses and people from rioters and only fired his weapon because he had an imminent fear for his life. The prosecution sought to portray Rittenhouse as a vigilante and instigator who came to the city armed in anticipation of and seeking violence. The highly anticipated verdict came after about 26 hours of deliberation following a two-week trial that focused on a single question: Was Rittenhouse acting in self-defense when he fatally shot two people and wounded another during civil unrest? ![]() Throughout the trial, right-wing figures like the McCloskeys, who were charged for unlawful use of a weapon after they were filmed pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in Missouri, backed Rittenhouse and took photos with supporters outside the courthouse. Earlier in the trial, the judge dismissed a curfew violation charge against Rittenhouse, ruling that the state had not presented sufficient evidence.Īlmost immediately after his arrest, Rittenhouse was lionized in some right-wing circles where vigilantes were celebrated for pushing back against the racial justice protests that spread across the country during the summer of 2020. The jury acquitted Rittenhouse of first-degree reckless homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon, first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon (Wisconsin’s murder count), attempted first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety with the use of a dangerous weapon.Īlthough Rittenhouse initially faced seven charges, the judge on Monday dismissed a misdemeanor charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 after the defense successfully argued that a technicality concerning the length of a gun used by a minor in Wisconsin’s statute cleared him. Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum after the man chased him in a parking lot during a confrontation-it’s alleged Rosenbaum reached for the rifle.KENOSHA, Wisconsin - Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges against him on Friday after he testified he was acting in self-defense when he fatally shot two people, wounded one, and attempted to shoot two others during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020. Rittenhouse killed two men and shot and maimed a third with an AR-15 after going to Kenosha to protect a car dealership he thought could be harmed during the protests. Rittenhouse, now 18, faced charges of first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of reckless endangerment of safety after shooting and killing two men in August 2020 during protests against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin. “You will be whisked out of here if you do anything,” he said. He warned the crowd that if there was a large reaction, there were plenty of county sheriffs in the room. ![]() Family members and loved ones of those he killed also populated the courtroom.īefore the verdict was read Judge Bruce Schroeder told the courtroom that he didn’t want any reaction to the jury’s decision. ![]() Rittenhouse, dressed in a dark blue suit, watched pensively as the jury read out his fate. After four days and over 25 hours of deliberation, the jury returned to the Kenosha, Wisconsin, courthouse on Friday to read out the fate of the teenager who killed two and injured a third in a shooting last summer. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |