(Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP, Pool)
Kyle Rittenhouse
KENOSHA, WIS (77WABC) – An emotional Kyle Rittenhouse sobbed as he described the moments before he shot a man. Rittenhouse’s testimony comes on the second day since the defense began its case.
In a shocking twist, Rittenhouse took the stand at his trial Wednesday on charges of killing two men and wounding a third during a night of violent protests in Kenosha over the wounding of a Black man by a white Kenosha police officer. The former police youth cadet was 17 when he went to Kenosha during the summer of 2020 with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit in what he has said was an effort to safeguard property from rioters.
Rittenhouse testified that he went into Kenosha on the morning of August 25, 2020, to clean up graffiti, and then again that night with a rifle and small medic kit and joined up with a group of armed people. “I went down there to provide first aid,” he said. He said he did not go there looking for trouble.
Rittenhouse, now 18, told jurors that Joseph Rosenbaum, one of the two men Rittenhouse killed, threatened to kill him twice that night. In one instance, Rittenhouse claims that Rosenbaum screamed, “if I catch any of you f***ers alone, I’ll f***ing kill you.” Rittenhouse stated there was no friction between himself and other protesters that evening, except for “the man who said he would kill me twice.” Rittenhouse testified that Rosenbaum also threatened to “cut his heart out.”
Prosecutors used 5½ days of testimony to try to portray Rittenhouse as the aggressor on the night of the shootings. However, the prosecution’s witnesses often bolstered the young man’s claim of self-defense.
Rittenhouse lived in Antioch, Illinois, with his mother, and his father lived in Kenosha. He also testified that he lent his bulletproof vest to a friend because he thought he wouldn’t need it as he would be “helping people.” He said the vest was issued to him by the Grayslake Police Department, where he was an explorer.
Moments later, an emotional Rittenhouse broke down into tears as he describes the moments before he shot Rosenbaum. He became unable to speak without crying. The judge then halted proceedings for a 10-minute break.
Rittenhouse could get life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge against him. Rittenhouse shot and killed 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum at close range. Then, as members of the crowd set upon him, he killed Anthony Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen on video clubbing Rittenhouse with a skateboard.
