Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted of all charges after pleading self-defense in the deadly Kenosha, Wisconsin, shootings that became a flashpoint in the nation’s debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice. Kyle Rittenhouse has been unanimously found not guilty on all counts.

The jury came back with its verdict after close to 3 1/2 days of deliberation.

Rittenhouse, 18, could have gotten life in prison if found guilty of the most serious charge against him. He was charged with homicide, attempted homicide and recklessly endangering safety for killing two men and wounding a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle.

The shootings took place during a night of protests over police violence against Black people in the tumultuous summer of 2020.

Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot. The jury appeared to be overwhelmingly white.

Prosecutors had said he was a “wannabe soldier” who brought a semi-automatic rifle to a racial justice protest and instigated the bloodshed. The defense says he acted in self-defense.

EARLIER IN THE DAY:

The jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial has returned for a fourth day of deliberations, after a quiet day behind closed doors that ended with one juror asking if she could take home the jury instructions.

Thursday’s court session was notable largely for Judge Bruce Schroeder banning MSNBC from the courthouse after a freelancer was accused of following the jurors in their bus.

RELATED STORY: Day 3: Deliberations in Rittenhouse Trial; MSNBC banned after bus incident

As jurors deliberate, two mistrial requests from the defense are hanging over the case.

Last week the defense asked for a mistrial after saying the prosecutor asked improper questions. A second mistrial motion was sparked by a jury request Wednesday to re-watch video in the case. The judge has not ruled on the requests.