Kyle Rittenhouse acquitted of all charges in case that sparked nationwide debate
The Kenosha County Courthouse, where Kyle Rittenhouse's trial was held. Source: "Kenosha County Courthouse and Jail" by Teemu008 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and wounded another during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wis., was acquitted on all charges on Nov. 19. The divisive case has sparked nationwide debate over gun rights, self-defense and vigilantism.
Following nearly 26 hours of deliberation, the jury found that Rittenhouse had acted within his right to defend himself and was not guilty on all five charges, including first-degree intentional homicide, which carries a sentence of life in prison.
His specific charges included first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.
Attending a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wis. on Aug. 25, 2020 following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, carried an AR-15-style rifle and during brief altercations shot and killed 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum and 26-year-old Anthony Huber. He also shot and injured Gaige Grosskreutz, who was then 26. Rittenhouse claimed he was there to protect the businesses in the community and provide first aid.
The teenager and his attorneys argued he only fired in self-defense as he feared for his life, while prosecutors presented him as an aggressor who escalated the situation.
After the verdict was read, Rittenhouse fell to the floor, breaking down in tears alongside his weeping mother. As he collected himself, he gave a hug to both his mother and one of his attorneys. Throughout the trial, Rittenhouse’s intense shows of emotion during his testimony captured the attention of reporters and social media users as many questioned his sincerity or alleged he may be suffering from PTSD.
“He wants to get on with his life,” defense attorney Mark Richards said. “He has a huge sense of relief for what the jury did to him today. He wishes none of this ever happened. But as he said when he testified, he did not start this.”
A key moment in the trial for the defense was when Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the possession charge for the rifle he used in Kenosha. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time of the shooting, making him an underage gun carrier. However, Rittenhouse’s attorneys argued that there was an exception in the law allowing minors to carry rifles and shotguns as long as they were not short-barreled. With the district attorneys conceding that the barrel of the rifle was over sixteen inches, Shroeder dropped the charge.
The teenager has attracted attention from conservative groups and politicians who have celebrated his acquittal, and, in the aftermath of the trial, Rittenhouse has been offered numerous congressional internships while being hailed on the right as a hero and a victim.
Rittenhouse appeared in his first national television interview on Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Tonight following the verdict, where he was praised by Carlson as “bright, honest, sincere, dutiful and hard-working — exactly the kind of person you’d want many more of in your country.” Former president Donald Trump, who defended Rittenhouse following the 2020 shooting, issued a statement congratulating him on the verdict, saying, “if that’s not self-defense, nothing is!”
The verdict in the highly divisive was met with anger and disappointment from many who view Rittenhouse as a vigilante who acted recklessly. Speaking outside the Kenosha, Wis. courthouse, Justin Blake, Jacob Blake’s uncle, denounced the court’s acquittal of Rittenhouse.
“I don’t know how they came to the final conclusion that he’s innocent, but this is why African Americans say the whole damn system is guilty,” Blake said. “This must end.”