Rittenhouse hails from Illnois’ Antioch, which is around 24.14 kilometers from Wisconsin’s Kenosha. The white teenager, who lived with his mother, has been described as an ‘admirer’ of the police.
Kyle Rittenhouse pulls numbers of jurors out of a tumbler during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha. AP
Editor’s Note: This article, originally published on November 17, 2021, during the deliberations in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial in connection to last year’s shootings in Wisconsin’s Kenosha, is now being republished in light of his acquittal.
US teenager Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot dead two men during protests and riots against police brutality in Wisconsin in 2020, was acquitted of all charges on Friday after a politically divisive trial. A jury found Rittenhouse not guilty of reckless and intentional homicide and other charges stemming from the shootings that took place in August 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Here’s what you need to know about the 18-year-old who is being hailed as a ‘hero’ in certain right-wing circles in America and why the trial is significant for America.
Who is Rittenhouse?
Rittenhouse hails from Illnois’ Antioch, which is around 24.14 kilometers from Wisconsin’s Kenosha. The white teenager, who lived with his mother, has been described as an ‘admirer’ of the police.
Much of Rittenhouse’s Facebook page is devoted to praising law enforcement, with references to Blue Lives Matter, a movement that supports police. He also can be seen holding an assault rifle. In a photograph posted by his mother, he is wearing what appears to be a blue law enforcement uniform as well as the kind of brimmed hat that state troopers wear.
As per The New York Times, Rittenhouse had also served as a cadet in a program for young aspiring police officers. He had some ties to Kenosha, despite living in a different state: His father lived in the city and Rittenhouse had worked as a lifeguard in Kenosha County. He also kept a military-style semi-automatic rifle in Wisconsin, which authorities said was purchased for him by a friend, as per the report.
Keep this in mind for later.
But why is he on trial?
In August 2020, when Kenosha was in the throes of several nights of chaotic demonstrations after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, after Blake resisted arrest during a domestic dispute, Rittenhouse brought a semi-automatic rifle to a protest against police brutality. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, said he was trying to protect downtown businesses from looters and vandals.
Just before midnight, Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum as Rosenbaum chased him across a parking lot. As Rittenhouse fled the scene someone in the crowd tried to kick him in the face and Anthony Huber swung his skateboard at him, connecting with Rittenhouse’s head and neck. Rittenhouse then fatally shot Huber. A moment later Gaige Grosskreutz ran up to him holding a pistol. Rittenhouse shot him in the arm; Grosskreutz survived.
Before the shooting, the conservative website The Daily Caller conducted a video interview with Rittenhouse in front of a boarded-up business.
“So people are getting injured, and our job is to protect this business,” he said. “And part of my job is to also help people. If there is somebody hurt, I’m running into harm’s way. That’s why I have my rifle — because I can protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit.”
“We were all chanting ‘Black lives matter’ at the gas station and then we heard, boom, boom, and I told my friend, `That’s not fireworks,'” 19-year-old protester Devin Scott told the Chicago Tribune. “And then this guy with this huge gun runs by us in the middle of the street and people are yelling, ‘He shot someone! He shot someone!’ And everyone is trying to fight the guy, chasing him, and then he started shooting again.”
Bystander and surveillance video clearly showed Rittenhouse walking around with the rifle strapped to his chest before the shooting and, using the gun. The prosecution charged Rittenhouse with homicide and attempted homicide, as well as being a minor in possession of a dangerous weapon (this charge has been since dismissed by the judge).
Why the trial is important?
The case touches on nearly every hot-button issue currently being discussed in America. Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, race, Gun Control, white privilege, and the merits and drawbacks of the US legal system where many contend there is a double standard when it comes to white people and those of colour.
According to witness accounts and video footage, police apparently let Rittenhouse walk past them and leave the scene with a rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air even as members of the crowd were yelling for him to be arrested because he had shot people.
Rittenhouse, meanwhile, has testified that Rosenbaum twice threatened to kill him, chased him and grabbed for his gun. He also testified Huber hit him with a skateboard twice and tried to take his gun and Grosskreutz pointed a pistol at him. Rittenhouse said repeatedly that he felt he had to shoot the men to protect himself.
After being charged, Rittenhouse became a cause celebre to some conservatives, who praised him for trying to protect businesses from damage by patrolling downtown Kenosha with a military-style rifle. His $2 million cash bail was collected through online fundraising, as per the New York Times.
With inputs from agencies