BREAKING: Kyle Rittenhouse Found Not Guilty on All Charges
Jury clears teenager of of all charges
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Kyle Rittenhouse has been found not guilty on all charges by the jury in his "murder" trial.
Jurors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, declared Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts on Friday.
They were capping off an intense trial surrounding the deadly unrest in that city last summer.
Rittenhouse, 18, would have faced a mandatory life sentence if found guilty and convicted of first-degree intentional homicide.
The verdict came on the fourth day of deliberations and the 15th day of the trial.
A breakdown of the Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty verdict:
Count 1: First Degree Reckless Homicide - Not Guilty
Count 2: First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety - Not Guilty
Count 3: First Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety - Not Guilty
Count 4: First Degree Intentional Homicide - Not Guilty
Count 5: Attempted First Degree Intentional Homicide - Not Guilt
Rittenhouse was facing charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety after he fatally shot two people and injured a third person during the second night of violent Black Lives Matter riots in Kenosha on August 25, 2020.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki commented on the case during a press briefing prior to the not guilty verdict being announced.
Shortly before Kyle Rittenhouse was cleared, Psaki said:
"Once it's concluded, I'm sure there will be something we have to say from the White House."
Local officers, media, and protesters were seen positioned around the Kenosha County Courthouse Friday.
The judge tossed one charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 on Monday after Rittenhouse's defense team argued that a subsection of the law concerning short-barreled rifles was grounds for dismissal.
His attorneys argued that the then-17-year-old was acting in self-defense after being attacked from behind when he shot Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, as well as deceased Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26 in the riots following the police shooting of a 29-year-old black man, Jacob Blake.
More to follow on the developing story
