Nathan Layne

KENOSHA WIS. (Reuters). – On Thursday, jurors will resume their consideration of Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial in Wisconsin. This comes after reviewing a collection of videos that showed Rittenhouse shooting two men dead and wounding a third.

Rittenhouse (18) is accused of killing Joseph Rosenbaum (36), and Anthony Huber (26). Rittenhouse also attempted homicide by wounding Gaige Grosskreutz (28), during chaotic protests that took place in Kenosha on August 25, 2020.

A jury consisting of seven women and five men spent approximately 14 hours hearing two weeks’ worth of evidence. This included substantial evidence supporting Rittenhouse’s claim that he used the weapon to attack his victim. If convicted of the most serious offense, he could spend life imprisonment.

The jury watched videos from evidence for the final hour of Wednesday’s trial. This included drone footage of Rosenbaum’s shooting, videos of Huber, Grosskreutz, and an attempted shooting at an unidentified man.

Rittenhouse was just 17 years old at the time. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and said that he used his gun in self-defense. Rosenbaum was his first victim that night. He claimed that Rittenhouse grabbed the gun barrel.

Lawyers for defense filed a request for mistrial. On Wednesday, they claimed that the prosecution withheld a high-definition drone video and then enhanced it to paint Rittenhouse as dangerous. The defense denied this allegation.

Following the shooting death of Jacob Blake (Black man), in Kenosha at the end of protests, the shootings were carried out. Blake was paralyzed to the waist.

This trial is the most watched in a civil case concerning self-defense rights for civilians since George Zimmerman’s death in 2013 in Trayvon Martin’s fatal shooting, when a Black teenage was unarmed. Rittenhouse is a polemizing figure. Like Zimmerman Rittenhouse is viewed by some as heroic, while others see him as symbolizing a dangerous American gun culture.