On August 25, 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, shot and killed two men and wounded another man in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The shootings occurred during the protests, riots, and civil unrest that followed the shooting of Jacob Blake. Race was a major theme in U.S. media commentary of the event, although Rittenhouse and those he shot were white. Rittenhouse was armed with an AR-15–style rifle and had joined a group of armed people in Kenosha who said that they were in Kenosha to protect businesses.
Joseph D. Rosenbaum, a 36-year-old unarmed Kenosha man, ran at Rittenhouse and grabbed the barrel of his rifle after throwing a plastic shopping bag of clothing at him. Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum four times at close range, killing him. A crowd formed and Rittenhouse quickly fled the scene. Anthony Huber, a 26-year-old-resident of Silver Lake, struck Rittenhouse in the head with a skateboard and attempted to wrest his rifle away; Rittenhouse shot him once, fatally. Gaige Paul Grosskreutz, a 26-year-old West Allis man who pointed a handgun at Rittenhouse, was shot by Rittenhouse once in the right arm and survived.
Kenosha County prosecutors charged Rittenhouse with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, two counts of reckless endangerment, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, and one count of curfew violation. His trial lasted from November 1 to 19, 2021. Prosecutors sought to show Rittenhouse as a criminal gunman, while defense lawyers argued that Rittenhouse had acted in self-defense, asserting that his attackers were part of a mob that "attacked him in the street like an animal" and that he used force necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself. Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the unlawful possession charge and the curfew violation charge after prosecutors failed to provide sufficient evidence, and a jury found Rittenhouse not guilty of the remaining charges.
Public sentiment of the shootings, as well as media coverage are both polarized and politicized. Multiple right-wing politicians and figures welcomed Rittenhouse's acquittal, stating that the shootings were self-defense. President Joe Biden called for the jury's verdict to be respected, although stated that the verdict "will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included." Multiple Democratic politicians and figures criticized the verdict as a miscarriage of justice, saying that the acquittal was emblematic of racial double standards in the American justice system. Gun control advocates expressed concerns that the verdict would embolden vigilantism and militia groups. An Economist/YouGov poll conducted during the trial found that two-thirds of Republicans thought Rittenhouse should be acquitted, while three-quarters of Democrats thought he should be convicted.
Background
On August 23, 2020, civil unrest erupted in Kenosha after the shooting of Jacob Blake, an African-American man who was shot seven times by a Kenosha police officer and became paralyzed from the waist down. Following a resurgence in protests that were part of the Black Lives Matter movement after other high-profile killings of African-Americans by police officers in 2020, the protests in Kenosha included rallies, marches, property damage, arson, and clashes with police between August 23 and September 1.
On August 25, former Kenosha alderman Kevin Mathewson put out a call on the Facebook page of the Kenosha Guard militia group for "patriots willing to take up arms and defend" Kenosha. Mathewson had previously formed the Kenosha Guard in response to the George Floyd protests earlier that year. The event post, titled "Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property," was picked up and redistributed by InfoWars. It received a national and international online response, attracting a larger number of armed men than were present at other protests in Wisconsin that summer. Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian and County Sheriff David Beth expressed their disapproval of armed civilians patrolling the streets, while some Wisconsin police officers were seen in a video giving them water and heard saying, "We appreciate you guys, we really do."
People involved
At the time of the shooting, Kyle Rittenhouse was 17 years old. Kyle's father was living in Kenosha, but Kyle lived with his mother in Antioch, Illinois, a community about 20 driving miles away. Prior to the Kenosha unrest, he had participated in local police cadet programs and expressed support on social media for the Blue Lives Matter movement and law enforcement. Three months prior to the shooting, Rittenhouse's friend, Dominick Black, purchased a semi-automatic, AR-15–style rifle as a favor for him in Wisconsin since Rittenhouse was too young to purchase a gun. Black's stepfather stored the gun in a locked safe at his home in Kenosha but had relocated the weapon to an unsecured area in the basement on August 24, the second day of the Kenosha unrest, for ready access in case of a break-in.
Those killed were Joseph Rosenbaum, aged 36 from Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, aged 26 from Silver Lake. Gaige Grosskreutz, aged 26 from West Allis, was injured. Rosenbaum and Huber both had a history of violence, mental health issues, and had spent time in prison; Rosenbaum had previously been convicted of sexual conduct with children.
Sequence of events
Before the shooting
After the city suffered building and vehicle damage during protests on August 24, social media had drawn locals and outsiders, left-wing activists and right-wing militia into the city streets despite an evening curfew imposed on citizens. Some 250 National Guard members were deployed to the city.
On August 25, militia that included Boogaloo boys and a biker crew carrying "hatchets, ball bats, and firearms" assembled near two gas stations south of Car Source, an automotive business with three properties (a dealership, a used car lot, and another car lot to the South), which had been badly damaged during the first two nights of unrest. Car Source had suffered $1.5 million in arson damage the previous night.
Peaceful protests during the day were followed by chaos where protestors, armed civilians and others faced off against one another and the police at night. Two hours after the 8:00 pm curfew had begun, police began to drive the protesters south out of Civic Center Park using BearCat armored personnel carriers. The shootings took place shortly before midnight along Sheridan Road.
Rittenhouse
On August 24, Rittenhouse drove to Kenosha to stay with his friend Dominick Black. The following day, August 25, Rittenhouse helped clean graffiti off a school. Later, Rittenhouse and Black, both armed with rifles, arrived at Car Source. Accounts differ as to whether Rittenhouse and Black's help was requested by Car Source. The dealership owner's sons denied that gunmen had been asked to defend the business, but several witnesses testified that armed individuals had been directly sought out by the business to protect their property.
In the hours leading up to the shooting, Rittenhouse appeared in multiple videos taken by protesters and bystanders and was interviewed twice: first by a livestreamer at the car dealership where he and a number of other armed men had stationed themselves, second by Richie McGinniss, a reporter for The Daily Caller. Rittenhouse was seen talking with police officers, and offering medical aid to those who were injured. When McGinniss asked Rittenhouse why he was at the car dealership, he responded: "People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business, [...] [a]nd part of my job is to also help people. If there is somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way. That's why I have my rifle – because I can protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit."
After 10:00 pm, Rittenhouse alternated between standing guard at the dealership and walking the street offering medical attention. Rittenhouse left Car Source around 11:40 pm and was blocked from returning to the business by the BearCats. Rittenhouse headed to the Car Source lot farthest to the south.
Rosenbaum
In the hours leading up to the shooting, prosecution witnesses described Rosenbaum as "hyperaggressive and acting out in a violent manner" and "acting very belligerently".
Witnesses described Rosenbaum carrying around a chain, trying to light fires, throwing rocks, and trying to provoke fights with people by "false stepping" at them. One witness described Rosenbaum "very bluntly asking people to shoot him" saying "shoot me, nigga", to which other protesters displayed negative reactions.
Another witness described how, accompanied by Rittenhouse, he tried to calm a disagreement between Rosenbaum and another man when Rosenbaum made threats to kill both of them, saying "if I catch any of you guys alone tonight, I'm going to fucking kill you!". The witness stated that he believed the threat was directed at both himself and Rittenhouse and that Rittenhouse had heard the threat.
First confrontation
According to his testimony, Rittenhouse was on patrol along Sheridan Road south of 60th Street with another armed volunteer, Ryan Balch. While patrolling, Rittenhouse lost contact with Balch, and so turned back up Sheridan Road towards the Car Source location at 59th and Sheridan (referred to during the trial as "Car Source 2") where he had been originally posted. However, he was stopped by police stationed at the junction of Sheridan Road and 60th Street, who turned him back, saying they were not allowing anybody to cross north of 60th Street. Rittenhouse then went to the nearby Ultimate Gas Station, believing this to be a safe location.
Rittenhouse testified that he received a call from Dominick Black telling him that the Car Source location at 63rd and Sheridan was being vandalized and that many vehicles had been set on fire and requesting him to go to that location and help put out fires. Rittenhouse then asked another person at the Ultimate Gas Station for a fire extinguisher and to accompany him to the Car Source location at 63rd and Sheridan. This person provided him a fire extinguisher but did not accompany him to the location.
Rittenhouse testified that he then walked and ran towards the Car Source location at 63rd and Sheridan on his own, carrying his rifle, the fire extinguisher and some first aid supplies. As he approached the Car Source lot at 63rd and Sheridan he heard someone shout "Burn in hell!". He responded "Friendly! Friendly! Friendly!" to placate them but could not see who it was.
Rittenhouse testified that when he reached the Car Source lot, he noticed a vehicle with flames in the back seat and approached the vehicle intending to put out the fire. He was then approached from near the vehicle by Joshua Ziminski, who was holding a pistol in his hand. Rittenhouse dropped the fire extinguisher, intending to run away. He then noticed Rosenbaum approaching him on his right, around the side of the vehicle, with a t-shirt wrapped around his face. Rittenhouse testified that he recognized Rosenbaum as the man who had previously threatened him but did not recognize Ziminski. Rittenhouse also testified that he believed Rosenbaum to be unarmed. This interaction was witnessed by McGinniss, who perceived that Rosenbaum and other protesters were moving toward Rittenhouse and that Rittenhouse was trying to evade them.
Rittenhouse testified that he then believed himself to be in danger and ran south-west across the lot, aiming for the safety of the Car Source lot buildings. Rosenbaum chased after him. Rittenhouse testified that he heard Ziminski shout to Rosenbaum "Get him and kill him!", and that he soon perceived his avenue of escape to be blocked by vehicles and a group of protesters, and that Rosenbaum was catching up to him. Video footage showed Rittenhouse being pursued across a parking lot by a group of people. During the chase, Rosenbaum threw a plastic bag containing socks, underwear, and deodorant at Rittenhouse.
Ziminski fired a shot into the air, and was later charged with disorderly conduct using a dangerous weapon. After the shot was fired, Rittenhouse turned around, to see Rosenbaum now only a few feet away from him. According to McGinniss, who was standing near Rittenhouse at the time, Rosenbaum then shouted "fuck you!" and "lunged" at Rittenhouse and grabbed the barrel of his rifle. Rittenhouse then fired four shots at Rosenbaum, killing him. The bullets perforated Rosenbaum's heart, aorta, pulmonary artery and right lung, fractured his pelvis, and caused minor wounds to his left thigh and forehead.
McGinniss, who had been standing 15 feet (4.6 m) away and felt one of the bullets whiz by his leg, checked himself before he began to administer first aid to Rosenbaum and told Rittenhouse to call 911. Rittenhouse stood over McGinniss for half of a minute before fleeing, and was heard saying "I just killed somebody" on his cell phone to his friend Dominick Black as he sprinted out of the parking lot where he had shot Rosenbaum. Rittenhouse then ran down the street towards police vehicles pursued by protesters.
Second confrontation
Gaige Grosskreutz testified that he was filming the protest as a legal observer for the American Civil Liberties Union on a Facebook livestream. Shortly before midnight, Grosskreutz said he heard gunshots to the south and observed Rittenhouse running in his direction on Sheridan Road. Grosskreutz said he ran alongside Rittenhouse and asked "Hey, what are you doing? You shot somebody?"
Prosecutors said that protesters were heard on two different videos yelling "Beat him up!", "Hey, he shot him!" and "Get him! Get that dude!" One individual struck Rittenhouse, knocking off his cap, shortly after which Rittenhouse tripped and fell to the ground. Others shouted "What'd he do?", "Just shot someone!" and "Get his ass!" While Rittenhouse was on the ground, Maurice Freeland, one of the men in pursuit, jump kicked Rittenhouse, who fired twice but missed Freeland.
Another protester, Anthony Huber, struck Rittenhouse's left shoulder, neck and head with a skateboard as the pair struggled for control of the gun. As Huber was pulling on the rifle, Rittenhouse fired once, hitting Huber in the chest, perforating his heart and right lung, causing his rapid death.
Grosskreutz testified he believed Rittenhouse was an active shooter. Grosskreutz testified that he had an expired concealed carry permit for a handgun and was carrying a Glock pistol. In 2024, local reporting found that Grosskreutz actually had a valid concealed carry permit at the time but had believed contrary information from police and prosecutors.