Thread: Kyle Rittenhouse Trial began today

Kyle Rittenhouse chased down an unarmed man and shot him four times, including a fatal shot to the back, during a night of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last August, a prosecutor said Tuesday in opening statements of Rittenhouse's homicide trial.



Rittenhouse, 17 at the time, fired an AR-15-style weapon eight times in all during the unrest: four shots at Joseph Rosenbaum, two shots at an unarmed unknown individual, one shot at an unarmed Anthony Huber and one shot at an armed Gaige Grosskreutz, according to Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger.
Rosenbaum, 36, and Huber, 26, were killed and Grosskreutz, now 27, was wounded.
"The evidence will show that hundreds of people were out on the streets experiencing chaos and violence and the only person who killed anyone was the defendant Kyle Rittenhouse," Binger said. "We will show you videos of some of the events that night of police, tear gas, rubber bullets and yet the only person who killed anyone was the defendant."


Binger's comments appear intended to undercut Rittenhouse's expected argument that he acted in self-defense and only fired to protect himself.


Rittenhouse, now 18, is charged with five felonies: first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. He is also charged with misdemeanor possession of a dangerous weapon under the age of 18 and a non-criminal violation of failure to comply with an emergency order. He has pleaded not guilty.

The trial is expected to last just over two weeks and will be televised, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder said in court. A jury of 20 people, made up of 11 women and nine men, was selected Monday, according to a pool reporter in court. That number will be reduced to 12 when deliberations begin.