A jury concluded its first day of deliberations without a verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial.
Jurors will resume their deliberations on Wednesday. Kyle Rittenhouse faces five felony charges for fatally shooting two men and wounding a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020.
Rittenhouse, who was 17 years old at the time, was armed with an AR-15 style rifle at a demonstration in the aftermath of the Jacob Blake shooting. He said he went to the protest to protect property from rioters.
The 18-year-old defendant claimed he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber in self-defense. Another man, Gaige Grosskreutz, was also injured but survived.
Rittenhouse has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, first-degree intentional homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.
Judge Bruce Schroeder, who faced scrutiny for his behavior during the trial, dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Rittenhouse for illegally possessing the AR-15-style rifle.
Schroeder did allow the prosecution’s request for the jury to consider charges of second-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted second-degree intentional homicide and first-degree recklessly endangering safety.
Before the jury began its deliberations, the judge made an unusual decision to allow Rittenhouse to conduct the random draw of jurors who’d decide his fate. A court clerk typically performs this task.
As deliberations began, protesters and Rittenhouse supporters gathered at the courthouse on Tuesday. Tensions flared as arguments erupted between both sides.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced 500 members of the National Guard would stand ready for duty in Kenosha if needed.