A U.S. court has acquitted a teenager who killed two men during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year, in a case that has deeply divided people’s minds right and left.
The judges handed down the verdict of Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, on the fourth day of the hearing. He was found not guilty in all five cases. Following the jury’s verdict, Rittenhouse fell to the ground and awoke at the hands of one of his deputies.
The Jurors considered five counts of felony criminal mischief for Ritthouse conspiracy to commit murder. He was also charged with manslaughter, attempted murder of a first person and endangering public safety. The judge rejected the gun case before the case was over.
The plaintiff described Rittenhouse as a “disruptive stranger” who went to Kenosha “in search of trouble”. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Conservative commentators and Republican lawmakers have expressed support for Rittenhouse throughout the process, while Democrats and activists have said the case shows how U.S. courts fail to prosecute white people.
Reaction was split after the verdict. Ron Johnson, a Republican senator from Wisconsin, said he believed “justice had been done”.
Human rights lawyer Ben Crump said it had shown “serious flaws in our justice system – from the bias shown frequently by the judge, to the negligence of police officers who saw Rittenhouse cases and did nothing”.
Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called the ruling “unfair” and “exemplary”, and called on government officials in the justice department to reconsider the case.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s support team and opponents grew throughout the week © TANNEN MAURY / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
People outside a court in Kenosha where the verdict was handed down © REUTERS
“Justice will not allow armed men across government lines to seek redress when people are protesting against the First Amendment,” he said in a statement. tweet.
U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement: “While Kenosha’s decision will leave many Americans angry and concerned, I, too, must admit that the judges have spoken out.” He urged the people to respond “peacefully, in accordance with the law”, and said the White House had contacted the office of Wisconsin governor Tony Evers to assist.
Disagreements outside the court escalated throughout the week, as Rittenhouse’s support groups and opponents grew. Evers allowed 500 National Guard soldiers to stand in the small town before the verdict.
Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha from Illinois in August 2020 after a police officer shot and killed a black man, Jacob Blake, and set off days of protests and riots, which became a problem for him. presidential campaign. The officer who shot Blake, Rusten Sheskey, was not case is a crime.
Rittenhouse, who was one of several people armed men who traveled to Kenosha during the protests, testified in the courtroom that they were there to protect property and provide first aid, and that they were armed with assault rifles.
The young man then shot Joseph Rosenbaum, a bipolar patient, was released from the hospital that day. Security and prosecutors argued over who committed the atrocity. The mob chased Rittenhouse, who shot and killed Anthony Huber and seriously injured a third person, Gaige Grosskreutz.
A member of the Blake family he said outside the courtroom Friday that “otherwise, the judges. . . found he was innocent in these cases, yet we have two boys who will not be passing through the door of their families. [houses] again ”.
As he spoke, Rittenhouse’s assistant shouted, “She’s not guilty!” Other drivers out of court shooting in celebration.
Judge Bruce Schroeder, who presided over the case, was arraigned for refusing to comply with Rittenhouse’s bail application and arguing with the prosecution during the trial.
Rittenhouse’s lawyers argued that he had acted in self-defense. Prosecutor Thomas Binger rebelled against the authority, claiming that Rittenhouse’s actions threatened others and made him more aggressive in attacking Rosenbaum, violating his right to self-defense.
“You can’t protect yourself from the dangers you would cause,” he said.
The crowd reacted to the Rittenhouse as they would to a shooter, Binger added, as “everyone has the right to self-defense”.
Mark Richards, attorney general, said Rittenhouse and the armed men were called in to defend the trade in Kenosha. Rittenhouse “did not shoot anyone until he was chased away and locked up”.
Calling it a “political affair”, Richards claimed that the protesters chased after Rittenhouse to accuse him of last year’s riots, but he blamed the “mob”, not Rittenhouse. He called Rosenbaum a “crazy man” who “was ready to cause trouble that night, and started”.
Following the verdict, Richards told reporters that Rittenhouse had “great relief”. Rittenhouse “had a lot of business to live in [Kenosha] like any other protest or violence, ”he said.
Binger said “although we are disappointed with the decision, it should be respected”.
