KENOSHA (Wis.) — Kyle Rittenhouse started the confrontation that saw him shoot three people in Kenosha as part of a violent protest against racial injustice. One of the victims was killed with a shot in the back. This was what a prosecutor said Tuesday to the jury during opening statements at Rittenhouse’s murder trial.
Rittenhouse’s lawyer said that Rittenhouse was hit and kicked with a skateboard on the night of the incident. Rittenhouse claimed self-defense and told the jury that it would “end up looking at the matter from the viewpoint of a 17 year-old in the same circumstances.”
Rittenhouse, 18, was charged with the murders of two men and injuring another during the summer 2020 using an assault-style rifle. If convicted, Rittenhouse could spend life in prison
After protests over the shooting in the back of Jacob Blake (Black man), by a Kenosha officer, Rittenhouse, an aspiring officer, traveled from Illinois to Kenosha. Rittenhouse stated that he was there to protect property following two nights of rioters setting fires and stealing businesses.
Thomas Binger, the prosecutor, stated that the unrest was “two of the most difficult nights that our community ever saw” and that outsiders were attracted to Kenosha “like moths towards a flame.”
Binger reiterated that, despite the chaos and anger in Kenosha, the only person responsible for killing anyone was Kyle Rittenhouse, the defendant.
Binger stated to the jury that self defense can only be valid if Rittenhouse believes he used deadly force to stop imminent death or great bodily injury.
Although it was not clear what Rittenhouse said, the prosecutor stated that Rittenhouse initiated a confrontation that led Joseph Rosenbaum to chase Rittenhouse across a parking garage.
Binger also stressed that Rosenbaum (36 years old) was shot in the back when he threw his plastic bag. Rosenbaum fell forward after the bullets struck him in his lower extremities.
Binger claimed that Rittenhouse fled the scene after shooting Rosenbaum. He had portrayed himself as a doctor earlier in the evening. According to the prosecution, Rittenhouse was believed by the crowd to be an active shooter.
Rittenhouse, running down a street, shot and killed Anthony Huber (26), a Silver Lake, Wisconsin protester who was captured on bystander footage riding a skateboard to Rittenhouse. Gaige Grosskreutz (27), a West Allis protester, was wounded as he tried to walk toward Rittenhouse.
Mark Richards, defense attorney, said Rosenbaum “lit the fuse that evening.” Richards also claimed that Rittenhouse was being pursued by Rosenbaum by another person in the crowd.
Rittenhouse was portrayed by the defense attorney as a victim. Huber was “trying [to] separate the head and the body” using the skateboard he aimed at Rittenhouse.
Richards also allegedly resisted the idea that Rittenhouse was an outsider attracted to Kenosha via social media. He claimed Rittenhouse was close to Kenosha, his father was there, and Rittenhouse was a Kenosha County lifeguard. He also said he had witnessed livestreams of the events.
According to the prosecutor, Rittenhouse offered to help Car Source, a used vehicle dealership, where the shooting took place. He said that only one person was killed in all of the chaos.
He said, “When we look at the reasonableness of defendant’s actions,”
Rittenhouse, wearing a dark pinstriped suit with tie, looked calm and collected. Rittenhouse glanced towards the jury box and occasionally fidgeted with his water bottle. Wendy Rittenhouse, his mother, sat behind him.
Given how politically divisive the case is, the jury selection was done in record time on Monday. Wisconsin’s most serious murder charge is first-degree intentional killing.
The case was heard by twenty people, 12 jurors and 8 alternates. Eleven of the jurors are women, and nine are men. Although the court didn’t immediately give a breakdown by race of the group it seemed to be overwhelmingly white.
Supporters of the right have painted Rittenhouse as a patriot who stood up against lawlessness and protestors and used his Second Amendment gun rights. Some see Rittenhouse as a police wannabe and vigilante.
Although he is white as are the people he shot, many activists see an intermingling of race in the case. This may be because protesters were out on the streets to condemn police violence against Blacks.
