Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, shot and murdered two men and wounded another man in the arm during conflicts at two sites on August 25, 2020, amid rioting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
He was armed with an AR-15-style weapon, while the person Rittenhouse wounded was armed with a handgun. Rittenhouse had stated that he went on the scene to provide medical assistance and that he was carrying a medical kit.
He is 18 years old.
Before fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, on Aug. 25, 2020, Rittenhouse, 18, broke down on the stand as he began to tell how he was “cornered” outside one of the car companies he was defending from aggressive demonstrators.
“That’s when I run,” Rittenhouse explained before feeling too emotional to continue.
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The poignant statement forced Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroederto to seek a 10-minute respite, while Rittenhouse’s mother wept in the crowd.
During cross-examination, Rittenhouse stood firm in his denial that he intended to murder any of the three victims.
Rittenhouse said to the jurors, “I didn’t intend to kill them. I intended to stop the people who were attacking me,”
“I did what I had to do to stop the person who was attacking me by killing them.”
Rittenhouse killed Rosenbaum, then killed Anthony Huber, 26, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz, 27.
After fatally shooting Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse approached a man on the street for assistance and informed him he had just shot someone, according to his testimony.
He added, “I remember telling him that I just shot somebody and I need help to get to the police because there … was now a crowded mob chasing me,”
When asked why he wanted to go to the police, he told defense counsel Mark Richards that he “didn’t do anything wrong.”
He said, “I defended myself,”
Rosenbaum threatened to kill Rittenhouse twice the night of the triple shooting, according to Rittenhouse, who was dressed in a navy suit and tie.
Rittenhouse told the jurors, “He screamed, ‘If I catch any of you alone, I’m going to f–king kill you,’”
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Rosenbaum was allegedly walking with a steel chain and appeared to be “mad about something,” according to him.
“I saw him tip the trailer over,” Rittenhouse said, adding that he believes he also witnessed him attempt to set fire to a Port-a-Potty.
“I’m going to chop your f–king hearts out,” Rosenbaum yelled later outside one of the vehicle dealerships he was defending, according to Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse said, “And I’m not going to repeat the second word, but ‘kill you N-words,’”
Judge yells at incompetent prosecutor in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.
I’ve never seen a trial yell at the govt like that ever. 😂😂#KyleRittenhouseTrial #KyleRittenhouse #Rittenhouse #RittenhouseTrial pic.twitter.com/JdmOxX68ib
— Femi (@femijr) November 10, 2021
His second victim, Huber, attacked him twice with a skateboard while sprinting through the streets, then tried to grab the gun strapped to his torso, he added.
He said, “He grabs my gun and I can feel it pulling away from me,”
“the strap starting to come off my body.”
His attorney asked, “What did you do then?”
Rittenhouse replied, “I shot him,”
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When Rittenhouse lowered his rifle, Grosskreutz “lunges at me with his pistol pointed directly at my head,” according to Rittenhouse, who shot him as well.
Rittenhouse was 17 when he arrived in Kenosha with a semi-automatic weapon and a medical bag in an attempt to protect businesses when riots erupted on Aug. 25, 2020, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down.
I stand with Kyle Rittenhouse. This country was founded on the people having the basic right to protect and defend themselves. Dems want that gone so lawlessness can run amuck everywhere. https://t.co/3BjMRqPDkz
— No One You Know (@strongmom104) November 10, 2021
For the fatal shootings, he faces six criminal accusations, including deliberate homicide.
He risks a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted of the top offense.
A heated exchange between Judge Schroeder and main prosecutor Thomas Binger halted Wednesday’s proceedings.
Binger was chastised by Shroeder for unlawfully attempting to bring testimony that he had previously stated he was inclined to dismiss.
With his line of inquiry, the judge accused Binger of aiming to cause a mistrial in the case.
Source: 101Biography
