There have been numerous key courtroom moments in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial leading up to the day prosecution rested on Tuesday, November 9.
Rittenhouse, for the uninitiated, was 17 years old when he was arrested for fatally shooting two men, as well as injuring a third during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse has been charged with five felony counts and one misdemeanor, including first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to all charges in January, claiming he acted in self-defense.
Here are eight important moments from the trial thus far that you need to know:
1. Man Rittenhouse Fatally Shot Acted “Erratic”; Hurled N-Word, Shouted “Shoot Me” Near Gas Station, Witness Testifies
Social media influencer Koerri Washington testified that Joseph Rosenbaum, a man fatally shot by Rittenhouse, hurled the N-word and yelled “shoot me” repeatedly near a Kenosha gas station on the night of August 25, 2020.
Washington also told the jury he made a “mental note” of Rosenbaum due to his “erratic” behavior.
2. Daily Caller Reporter And Witness Tells Prosecution Rosenbaum Yelled “F*** You” And Lunged For Rittenhouse’s Gun Moments Before The Teen Fired Four Shots
“When prosecutor Thomas Binger suggested it was impossible for [reporter Richard] McGinnis to know what Rosenbaum was trying to do as he lunged, McGinnis replied, ‘Well, he said “f*** you’ and he reached for the weapon,’” NPR reported.
Notably, McGinnis took off his own shirt to treat Rosenbaum within moments of the shooting, admitting that he felt “in danger.”
3. An Older White Male Juror Was Dismissed From The Case Over A Joke He Cracked About Jacob Blake
The joke the juror allegedly said went something like:
Why did the Kenosha police shoot Jacob Blake seven times? Because they ran out of bullets.
After prosecution raised the issue, Judge Bruce Schroeder asked about the joke and the juror said it had “nothing to do with the case.” He was dismissed, leaving 19 jurors to hear the rest of the case.
4. Never-Before-Seen FBI Video Footage Revealed Rosenbaum “Hiding” Between A Cluster Of Cars Before Chasing Down Rittenhouse, Leading To The Fatal Encounter
The footage shows Rittenhouse, by himself, hastily walking down the sidewalk before Rosenbaum, wearing a mask, comes out of what defense has called a “hiding spot” between a cluster of cars. After a verbal exchange, Rittenhouse continues in the same direction, and Rosenbaum chases after him.
In the image below, Kenosha Police detective Martin Howard confirmed on the stand that “Person of Interest One” is Rosenbaum and “Person of Interest Two” is Rittenhouse.
5. Police Confirm That Rittenhouse Shouted “Friendly, Friendly, Friendly!” But Rosenbaum Continued To Chase Him
Reviewing witness footage, Kenosha Police detective Martin Howard testified that it was “correct” that Rittenhouse’s repeated yells of “friendly” did not “dissuade Mr. Rosenbaum” from continuing to chase him down.
6. Gaige Grosskreutz, Man Shot By Rittenhouse, Confirms Teen Only Fired After Being ‘Advanced’ On With Gun Pointed At Him
“Under questioning from Rittenhouse defense attorney Corey Chirafisi, Grosskreutz testified that Rittenhouse fired on him after Grosskreutz had pointed his pistol at Rittenhouse,” The Daily Wire reported. “Chirafisi began the line of questioning with a still image from a video showing the moment Rittenhouse shot Grosskreutz, showing Grosskreutz’s arm being ‘vaporized, as the witness said.”
“It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun pointed at him, that he fired, right?”
Witness who was shot by Rittenhouse:
“Correct”
pic.twitter.com/guEO6sle59— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 8, 2021
(NOTE: On the same day prosecution rested, Tuesday, November 9, the Rittenhouse defense team called four witnesses. The following moments are from defense witnesses.)
7. Rittenhouse Trial Witness Says Prosecutors Asked Him To “Change” His Statement To Police
“Amateur photographer Nathan DeBruin took the stand on Tuesday as one of four defense witnesses called that day,” The Daily Wire reported. “During his testimony, DeBruin recounted an earlier, uncomfortable meeting with prosecutors in which DeBruin said they pushed him to change a statement he gave to police regarding another man, Joshua Ziminski, whom prosecutors have charged with arson.”
8. Judge Tosses Curfew Charge After Prosecution Falls Short On Evidence
The Daily Wire reported:
Judge Bruce Schroeder tossed an additional curfew charge on Tuesday, ruling that prosecutors had failed to produce any evidence that a curfew had been in place, according to CNN. The judge left in place the misdemeanor gun charge against Rittenhouse, overruling the defense’s request to have it dismissed. Rittenhouse’s attorneys have previously argued that applicable Wisconsin gun law is unconstitutional, according to the Kenosha News.
The defense’s failure to get the misdemeanor gun charge dismissed is a rare win for the prosecution over the past week of testimony. Assistant district attorney Thomas Binger and James Kraus rested the prosecution’s case on Tuesday after several significant setbacks in its case.
Two Important Pre-Trial Moments:
1. Judge Ruled Men Shot By Rittenhouse Can’t Be Referred To As “Victims,” But They Can Be Called “Rioters” And “Looters” If Defense Can Provide Evidence
“He [defense] can demonize them if he wants, if he thinks it will win points with the jury,” Judge Bruce Schroeder said.
“The word victim is a loaded, loaded word,” Schroeder added, telling prosecution they can’t use the term “victim” to refer to those shot.
2. Prosecutor Lists Numerous Alleged Crimes Of Man Kyle Rittenhouse Fatally Shot, Downplays As Irrelevant
During a pre-trial hearing, prosecution tried to argue that alleged past actions of Rosenbaum have no connection to the deceased being fatally shot by Rittenhouse during a riot in August 2020.
Attempting to illustrate the point that there’s “no factually commonality” between prior alleged actions of Rosenbaum on the night of the incident to the shooting, prosecution listed off accusations from defense and downplayed the relevance.
The laundry list of alleged past deeds drew shock online and can be reviewed here.
Noteworthy
In October 2020, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office announced that the gun Rittenhouse used was never carried across state lines, contrary to numerous media stories.
“There is no evidence the gun was ever physically possessed by Kyle Rittenhouse in Illinois,” said the Illinois State Attorney’s Office.
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Source: Dailywire
