Kyle Rittenhouse

`This article is under construction.`

**Kyle Rittenhouse** is an American activist whose arrest and trial for a shooting he committed during the Kenosha unrest in August 2020 made national news headlines.

In November 2021, Rittenhouse was put on trial with five charges related to the shooting. He pleaded not guilty on the basis that he had acted in self-defense. On November 19, 2021, the jury found Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts.

## Biography

Kyle Howard Rittenhouse was born on January 3, 2003, in Antioch, Illinois, to parents Michael "Mike" Rittenhouse and Wendy Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse was involved in the Grayslake police explorers and volunteered in the Antioch fire department.

Rittenhouse had expressed his support for police in various online postings.

### Leadup to protests

In May 2020, during a trip with his friend, Dominick Black, to a hunting property in Wisconsin, Black offered to purchase an AR-15 style rifle for Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time, and thus could not legally purchase or own a firearm. The two acknowledged that such a favor was illegal, but agreed that Rittenhouse would not receive the weapon until he turned 18.

The newly-purchased rifle was tested at the property that same month. Afterwards, Black's stepfather locked the gun away in a safe in their Kenosha home. On August 24, in light of the protests, the gun was placed in an unsecured location to be retrieved in the event of a break-in.

## 2020 Kenosha unrest

On August 23, 2020, during an altercation, 29-year-old Jacob Blake was shot four times by Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey. Blake was seriously injured by the shooting, and was hospitalized for several days.

Protests immediately followed, and by 10:15 PM on August 23, a state of emergency was declared in Kenosha as the protests turned destructive.

The protests lasted for several days.

### Shooting

On August 25, the third day of the Kenosha unrest, Kyle Rittenhouse, who then was 17 years old, offered to protect businesses from rioters in Kenosha. That night, as protests again turned violent, Rittenhouse visited an individual's home in Wisconsin where he retrieved an AR-15 style rifle and was given a lift to Kenosha. Rittenhouse was seen standing outside several businesses, and was interviewed by an independent journalist at one point.

At around 11:45 PM, a confrontation occurred between him and several other protesters. He shot and killed two people while wounding another.

The killed and wounded were:

* Joseph Rosenbaum, 36 (killed)
* Anthony Huber, 26 (killed)
* Gaige Grosskreutz, 26 (injured)

### Aftermath and arrest

Rittenhouse returned home early that morning. He was reportedly so shaken by the event that he vomited.

## Court proceedings

Rittenhouse was bailed out by MyPillow guy.

## Trial

The trial began on November 1, 2021, more than a year after the shooting. Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree attempted intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. Now 18, Rittenhouse was charged as an adult. He pleaded not guilty, claiming he had acted in self-defense.

The trial received extensive media coverage for its duration.

### Verdict

Beginning on November 16, the 12 jurors deliberated on Rittenhouse's charge. They could not come to a consensus on that day. Over the next four days, the jurors deliberated for a total of 27 hours.

Rittenhouse was acquitted on all counts on November 19, 2021.

### Reactions

Following the verdict, the Kenosha County District Attorney's Office stated, "while we are disappointed with the verdict, it must be respected. We are grateful to the members of the jury for their diligent and thoughtful deliberations".

## Post-trial

Rittenhouse appeared at a Turning-Point USA event in Phoenix, Arizona in December 2021.

### Legacy

The shooting and its coverage were extremely controversial.

## Citations

1. ↑ https://heavy.com/news/michael-mike-rittenhouse-kyle-father/
2. ↑ https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2021/11/02/friend-expected-lead-off-states-case-kyle-rittenhouse-trial/6244050001/
3. ↑ https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/kenosha-man-facing-felony-charges-for-giving-kyle-rittenhouse-gun-used-in-shootings/article\_38bc2084-5763-5985-9a12-573ea87de66c.html
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://www.npr.org/2021/11/19/1057288807/kyle-rittenhouse-acquitted-all-charges-verdict