The Kenosha Unrest Shooting
The Kenosha Unrest Shooting refers to a series of events that took place on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American man. Seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, shot and killed two men—Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber—and injured a third man, Gaige Grosskreutz. The unrest began after Blake was shot by a police officer in an incident that ignited nationwide protests regarding police violence and racial injustice. Rittenhouse claimed he acted in self-defense during his trial in November 2021, where he was acquitted of all charges, including first-degree intentional homicide. The verdict led to protests across various American cities, highlighting the ongoing discussions around gun control, self-defense laws, and the dynamics of race and policing in the U.S. Following the trial, Rittenhouse garnered significant media attention, attracting both support and criticism, as well as potential opportunities for book deals and public speaking engagements. The incident and its aftermath continue to evoke strong responses and discussions about the complexities surrounding demonstrations and violence in society.
The Kenosha Unrest Shooting
During the Kenosha unrest shooting on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, seventeen-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse used an AR-15-style rifle to kill two men and severely injure a third. Protests were taking place in Kenosha in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake, an African American man, by a white police officer. During his trial in November 2021, Rittenhouse pleaded self-defense and was found not guilty on all charges, which included first-degree intentional homicide. The verdict sparked protests in large cities nationwide.
Background
Demonstrations in Kenosha began after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a twenty-nine-year-old African American man, by a white police officer on August 23, 2020. Police arrived at an apartment in response to a domestic dispute. While holding a knife, Blake tried to get into an SUV when a police officer grabbed him and shot him seven times in the back, paralyzing him. Blake’s shooting followed the killing of Breonna Taylor in March and George Floyd in May. Both Taylor and Floyd were African Americans who died at the hands of white police officers.
While at first the protests in Kenosha were peaceful, during the second night, rioting broke out causing widespread destruction in the town. In addition to private property, at least one hundred businesses were destroyed, some burned to the ground. To protect their city, some gun-owning residents of Kenosha and nearby towns, including Kyle Rittenhouse, organized on Facebook, announcing plans to offer their assistance to police and the National Guard to help stop the demonstrations. Wisconsin is an open-carry state, which means that people do not need a permit to carry legal firearms in public.
Rittenhouse joined the protests and riots on the third night when armed men, some dressed like soldiers, joined the rioting, calling themselves the Kenosha militia. Some threw fireworks at police who responded by shooting tear gas and rubber bullets. While most of the protestors had left by late afternoon, some remained, including Rittenhouse, who was recorded on video claiming to have been pepper-sprayed and offering protestors medical assistance. Thirty-six-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse into a dealership parking lot. When a man fired into the air, Rittenhouse turned, and Rosenbaum lunged at him. According to witnesses, Rosenbaum grabbed Rittenhouse’s gun, trying to take it from him. Rittenhouse fired four times, shooting Rosenbaum in the head and killing him.
Rittenhouse was recorded on video making a call and then fleeing the scene. A group of protestors chased him, some yelling, “That’s the shooter!” After Rittenhouse tripped and fell, he was approached by twenty-six-year-old Anthony Huber, who hit Rittenhouse several times with the skateboard he had been carrying, and then they struggled for control of the gun. Rittenhouse fired, shooting Huber in the chest and instantly killed him. Rittenhouse was still on the ground when he was approached by twenty-six-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz. Rittenhouse put his hands in the air, and Grosskreutz pointed a loaded handgun at him. Rittenhouse shot him in the arm, and Grosskreutz fled.
After the shooting, Rittenhouse approached police vehicles with his hands in the air. However, in the chaos, officers drove past him to assist the victims. The police officers in the vehicles later reported having no knowledge that Rittenhouse was the shooter.
Arrest and Criminal Charges
At the time of the shootings, seventeen-year-old Rittenhouse was living with his mother in Antioch, Illinois, a town about 15 miles from Kenosha. Rittenhouse’s father lived in Kenosha, and Rittenhouse had worked there as a lifeguard.
Rittenhouse turned himself in to police in Antioch about an hour after the shootings. On October 30, he was extradited from Illinois to Wisconsin. Because he was considered a flight risk, his bail was set at two million dollars. However, Rittenhouse had become a celebrity of sorts among far-right conservatives, who admired his patrolling the streets of Kenosha with a military-style rifle trying to protect the city. His bail was raised through an online fundraiser, #FightBack.
At Rittenhouse’s arraignment on January 5, he was charged with six criminal counts, which included first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide, charges that carry a maximum of life in prison had Rittenhouse been convicted. Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming self-defense.
Hours after his arraignment, Rittenhouse and his mother went to a bar in Wisconsin. According to prosecutors, Rittenhouse flashed the “OK” sign, a gesture that some claim is used by white supremacist groups, in particular the Proud Boys. Rittenhouse also drank a beer. However, in Wisconsin, it is legal for someone who is eighteen, Rittenhouse’s age then, to drink in public if a parent is present.
Trial
Rittenhouse’s trial took place from November 1 to 19, 2021, in Kenosha County Circuit Court. A twenty-person jury panel was selected with twelve jurors and eight alternates. The jury heard testimony from more than thirty witnesses, including Rittenhouse, who claimed that he was in Kenosha that evening to protect private property and provide first aid to those injured. He said that he acted in self-defense when he killed Rosenbaum, who after threatening to kill him, threw a plastic bag at him and chased him.
After shooting Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse said he ran toward police but was chased by Huber and Grosskreutz. Huber, he said, repeatedly struck him with a skateboard, and Grosskreutz pointed a loaded Glock pistol at him. During each encounter, Rittenhouse said, he feared for his life. At one point during his testimony, Rittenhouse became emotional and sobbed on the witness stand, causing the judge to call for a break in testimony.
During cross-examination, prosecutors argued that Rittenhouse created the situations with Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz when he appeared in a dangerous place carrying a military-style rifle. The prosecution emphasized that Rosenbaum was unarmed, yet Rittenhouse shot him, and continued to shoot him as he was falling to the ground.
According to legal analysts, the prosecution made mistakes that led the defense to request a mistrial twice. Among them was a drone video showing Rittenhouse pointing his gun at protestors before the shooting started, undermining Rittenhouse’s self-defense claim. However, the copy of the video that prosecutors gave the defense was low-quality, making it difficult to discern the recorded events. Rittenhouse’s attorneys also argued that prosecutors mentioned a prior incident recorded on video that the judge said was not to be discussed during the trial. The video showed Rittenhouse watching people shoplifting, saying that he would shoot them if he had a gun. Legal analysts described the case as being challenging for the prosecution because in Wisconsin, they had to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. Furthermore, the judge had ruled that prosecutors could not refer to the shot men as “victims” but instead had to describe them as “arsonists” or “looters.”
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for nearly twenty-seven hours over the course of five days. The jury was also asked to consider lesser charges during deliberations. However, they unanimously found Rittenhouse not guilty on all five criminal counts. (The sixth charge, a misdemeanor weapons charge, was dismissed.)
Afterward
In anticipation of protests after the televised trial, the Wisconsin governor, Tony Evers, ordered the deployment of five hundred members of the National Guard. After Rittenhouse’s acquittal, protests and riots broke out nationwide in major cities, such as Portland, New York, Chicago, San Diego, and Los Angeles. The polarized case also sparked discussion about contentious issues such as gun-control laws, self-defense, and violence at racial-justice protests.
Although Rittenhouse was acquitted on criminal charges, he could still face civil lawsuits, where the burden of proof is lower than in criminal trials. Anthony Huber’s father had filed a civil lawsuit but against the city and county of Kenosha, the sheriff, the acting and former police chiefs as well as officers and deputies. As of December 2021, Huber’s family had not yet filed a civil suit against Rittenhouse.
Rittenhouse and his family have hinted that they may file defamation lawsuits against public figures and media organizations. Efforts are still being made to raise money for Rittenhouse’s legal expenses from the trial and possibly in anticipation of future civil lawsuits.
Also at issue after the trial was who should receive the two-million dollars raised online for Rittenhouse’s bail. In Kenosha County, where the trial was held, the entire amount of bail is usually returned to the person who posted it, which would be Rittenhouse’s former attorney John Pierce. However, Pierce had relinquished all claims to the money. Rittenhouse’s current attorney, Mark Richards, believed that the money should go to Rittenhouse. Fightback Foundation, the organization that raised the money and transferred it to Pierce so he could post Rittenhouse’s bail, said the money should be returned to the organization.
After the acquittal, Rittenhouse seemed poised to become a millionaire. Marketing experts believe that Rittenhouse could easily land a seven-figure book deal as well as lucrative paid appearances and speaker’s fees. After the shootings, merchandise was sold online, such as “Free Kyle” T-shirts. Rittenhouse could capitalize on such a market after his acquittal.
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