Prosecutors show Rittenhouse trial jurors video of protests

KENOSHA, Wis. – Prosecutors astatine Kyle Rittenhouse’s execution proceedings Wednesday played video for the assemblage that captured the repeated dependable of gunfire successful the streets arsenic they began recounting the nighttime Rittenhouse changeable 3 people, 2 fatally, during a tumultuous objection against constabulary brutality.

In 1 of the bystander videos livestreamed that nighttime by Koerri Washington, a societal media influencer from Kenosha, Rittenhouse tin beryllium seen moving done the frame, carrying a occurrence extinguisher.

Washington said helium followed the 17-year-old Rittenhouse aft noticing him earlier that evening.

“He conscionable looked benignant of young to me,” Washington said. ”And helium had these gloves connected and helium was smoking cigarettes and stuff. ... He benignant of seemed similar an absorbing figure, truthful I conscionable took a intelligence enactment of that. It wasn’t anything, I wouldn’t accidental malicious, conscionable a young idiosyncratic successful a situation.”

Shortly aft Rittenhouse is seen, the video captures the dependable of 1 gunshot, which was fired into the aerial by idiosyncratic successful the crowd, according to authorities. The defence has said that that changeable made Rittenhouse deliberation helium was nether attack.

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That was followed by 4 speedy shots, which authoritative Thomas Binger said were Rittenhouse firing astatine Joseph Rosenbaum, the archetypal antheral killed that night. After a abbreviated pause, 3 much gunshots tin beryllium heard; prosecutors said it is unclear who fired them.

Washington, who was connected a skateboard, said that erstwhile helium heard the shots, helium “skated distant to safety.”

Rittenhouse, present 18, is charged with opening occurrence with an assault-style firearm during the summertime of 2020 successful a politically polarizing lawsuit that has stirred furious statement implicit self-defense, vigilantism, the close to carnivore arms, and the radical unrest that erupted astir the U.S. aft the sidesplitting of George Floyd successful Minneapolis and different cases similar it.

Rittenhouse, a one-time constabulary younker cadet, could get beingness successful situation if convicted.

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The teen traveled to Kenosha from his location successful Illinois aft convulsive protests broke retired implicit the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white Kenosha constabulary officer. Rittenhouse said helium went determination to support spot aft 2 nights successful which rioters acceptable fires and ransacked businesses.

During opening statements Tuesday, prosecutors portrayed him arsenic the instigator of the bloodshed, portion his lawyer argued that helium acted successful self-defense aft Rosenbaum tried to drawback his weapon and others successful the assemblage kicked him successful the look and deed him successful the caput with a skateboard.

On Wednesday, galore jurors seemed to jot down extended notes erstwhile grounds turned to the level of unit astatine the Kenosha protests, which included protesters throwing firebombs and rocks connected the nighttime of the shooting.

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Many members of the assemblage seemed particularly attentive erstwhile a defence lawyer during cross-examination played video of dozens of cars successful a used-car batch connected occurrence the time earlier the shooting. Prosecutors person emphasized an lack of deadly violence, different than from Rittenhouse, connected the nighttime of the killings.

The archetypal witnesser successful the proceedings was a person who testified that Rittenhouse was pale, “freaking out” and “really scared” moments aft shooting the 3 men. Rittenhouse said helium had to bash it due to the fact that “people were trying to wounded him," said the witness, Dominick Black.

Black, who was dating Rittenhouse's sister astatine the time, faces his ain proceedings for buying the 17-year-old Rittenhouse an AR-15-style firearm helium wasn't aged capable to legally possess.

Black testified that helium and Rittenhouse had equipped themselves and gone to downtown Kenosha to assistance support a car dealership aft vehicles were burned the nighttime before. He besides said Rittenhouse helped springiness aesculapian assistance and enactment retired fires.

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Moments aft shooting the 36-year-old Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse changeable and killed Anthony Huber, 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, who was seen connected bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard.

Defense lawyer Mark Richards portrayed Rittenhouse arsenic the victim, saying that Rosenbaum “lit the fuse that night” and that Huber was “trying to abstracted the caput from the body” with the skateboard.

Rittenhouse past wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a protester from West Allis, Wisconsin, who had a weapon successful his manus arsenic helium stepped toward Rittenhouse.

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Forliti reported from Minneapolis; Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan. Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed from Madison, Wisconsin.

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Find AP’s afloat sum connected the proceedings of Kyle Rittenhouse at: https://apnews.com/hub/kyle-rittenhouse

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