Kenosha Shooter Kyle Rittenhouse Found Not Guilty on All Charges in Homicide Trial

After multiple days of deliberations, the jury in Kyle Rittenhouse’s homicide trial returned a verdict on Friday.

Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all counts, per an Associated Press report. The multiple charges against him had included first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and first-degree recklessly endangering safety. Charges of failure to comply with an emergency order and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 (Rittenhouse was 17 when he shot and killed two men) had been dismissed.

In August of last year, amid protests spurred by Kenosha police shooting Jacob Blake multiple times in the back, Rittenhouse fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. Rittenhouse, who was armed with an AR-15 style rifle, also shot and injured Gaige Grosskreutz. The latter has since filed a lawsuit against the city of Kenosha and local law enforcement.

During the trial, Rittenhouse repeatedly pushed a self-defense argument and was at one point questioned by the prosecution about why he wanted to possess an AR-15 style rifle. Asked if he could name any other reasons aside from his previously stated excuse of not being able to lawfully possess a pistol, Rittenhouse—whose friend purchased him the gun—conceded that he “thought it looked cool.” 

Criticism surrounded the trial, as well as the nearly four days of jury deliberations, with specific emphasis placed on the behavior of Judge Bruce Schroeder. Last month, for example, Schroeder denied a prosecution motion to block the defense from using “rioters, looters, and arsonists” as descriptors in reference to the people shot by Rittenhouse. Schroeder also prohibited those who were shot being referred to as “victims” in the trial.