Kyle Rittenhouse on the stand in his trial for murder Nov. 10 in Kenosha, Wisc.Photo: Mark Hertzberg-Pool/Getty
Kyle Rittenhousetook the stand Wednesday to defend himself against homicide charges, breaking down and sobbing as he described events in which he fatally shot two men and wounded a third during a night of civil unrest that followed the police shooting of a Black man,Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wis., last year.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” said Rittenhouse, 18. “I defended myself.”
Prosecutors havecharged Rittenhouse with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide, among other criminal charges, for the shooting deaths of Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and the injuries to Gaige Grosskreutz, all with an AR-style .223 rifle that Rittenhouse carried from his home in Illinois to the scene of the unrest on Aug. 25, 2020.
The shooter and the victims all were white. But their interactions occurred on a third night of street protests over alleged police brutality after a white Kenosha police officer,Rusten Sheskey, shot Blake multiple times in the back Aug. 23 during an attempted arrest while responding to what authorities said was a domestic disturbance.
Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisc., courtroom on Nov. 10, 2021.Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty
The protests over the Blake shooting added to a summer of civil unrest and followed earlier demonstrations over the killings of other Black citizens includingGeorge Floyd,Breonna TaylorandAhmaud Arbery.
In bringing charges against Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the killings, prosecutors allege he had responded to a militia’s call on social media to protect Kenosha businesses from protesters. His shooting of the three men quickly inflamed debate about vigilantes and attracted pro-gun allies to Rittenhouse’s side, including then-President Donald Trump, who chosenot to denounce his actions.
In court, Rittenhouse said in response to a question from his defense attorney, Mark Richards, that he was not looking for trouble when he came to Kenosha. He said he was there to help render first aid and extinguish fires, reportsThe New York Times.
He described an initial encounter with Rosenbaum, saying, “Mr. Rosenbaum was walking with a steel chain, and he had a blue mask around his face, and he was just mad about something.” Rittenhouse claimed that Rosenbaum threatened to kill him, though he acknowledged that Rosenbaum never physically touched him.
Kyle Rittenhouse on the stand Nov. 10, 2021, in Kenosha, Wisc.Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty
Rittenhouse said he moved on, and “as I’m walking down Sheridan Road,” he testified, “I hear somebody scream, ‘Burn in hell,’ and I reply with, ‘Friendly, friendly, friendly,’ to let them know, hey, I’m just here to help. I don’t want any problems. I just want to put out the fires if there are any.”
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His composure broke when he described a second alleged encounter with Rosenbaum moments before he shot him.
“A gunshot is fired from behind me, directly behind me,” Rittenhouse said. “And I take a few steps, and that’s when I turn around. And as I’m turning around, Mr. Rosenbaum is … coming at me with his arms out in front of him. I remember his hand on the barrel of my gun.”
After a second man, Huber, then struck Rittenhouse in the neck with a skateboard and grabbed the gun, Rittenhouse shot him too, reports theAssociated Press.
He shot and wounded the third man, Grosskreutz, because Grosskreutz allegedly lunged at him “with his pistol pointed directly at my head,” Rittenhouse said.
He said he only “intended to stop the people who were attacking” him when prosecutors asked, whether he used deadly force against the two men who were fatally shot. Rittenhouse agreed that he had.
But he said he did not intend to kill them.
The trial, which began last week, is continuing. Each of the the two homicide charges against Rittenhouse carry a penalty of up to 60 years in prison.
source: people.com
