Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: Jury Sees Graphic Videos From Shooting

KENOSHA COUNTY, WI — A jury on Wednesday saw hours of video footage from the night an Illinois teen traveled to Kenosha amid violent unrest. Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, could face life in prison if a jury finds him guilty of fatally shooting two men and injuring a third on Aug. 25, 2020.

Rittenhouse appeared in person with his defense team during the second day of his trial. He wore a suit, light blue dress shirt and a yellow and light blue striped tie and looked solemn as lawyers questioned witnesses and went through the video footage of the shootings, some of which was graphic.

Rittenhouse’s attorney Mark Richards says his client acted in self-defense amid a night of unrest on the streets of Kenosha, turning his gun on Anthony Huber, 26, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Gabe Grosskreutz, 26. Huber and Rosenbaum both died, and Grosskreutz was injured.

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The civil unrest came days after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Rittenhouse is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, use of a dangerous weapon and attempted first-degree intentional homicide.

Among the videos shown Wednesday was one of strangers coming to Huber's aid after he was shot in the head and helping lift him into a vehicle to bring him to a hospital. They urged him to "hold on" and used a T-shirt to put pressure on his wound. Another video shows a wounded Grosskreutz screaming loudly, “I need a medic! I need a medic!”

Kenosha Police Department Detective Martin Howard took the stand Wednesday, stating he collected the videos from the internet and witness' cell phones as part of his investigation. Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger played videos while Howard pointed out key people and locations for the jury, showing Rittenhouse’s movements that night.

The first shooting happened at the Car Source Dealership, near 63rd and Sheridan roads, according to Howard. He said Wednesday that Rittenhouse fired his gun four times at Rosenbaum. A video shows a stranger coming to Rosenbaum’s aid, while Rittenhouse backs away and then runs northbound from the area.

“Rittenhouse heads northbound first on the sidewalks and then goes east. When he’s closer to 62nd Street, he runs northbound in the middle of Sheridan Road,” Howard said, adding that Rittenhouse then fell down near 61st Street.

While he’s down, an unidentified person kicks him and Rittenhouse fires two shots, according to the video.

He then shot once at Huber and once at Grosskreutz, Howard said.

During cross-examination, Richards worked to poke holes in the state’s case and set the stage for Rittenhouse's self-defense claims. He questioned Howard on the police department's investigation, asking him if, under normal circumstances, police would've scoured the scene immediately following the shootings for the bullets.

Howard agreed, typically they would. He said the shell casings from the shootings were found four days later.

He also spoke of how police kept their distance from the scene that night, the third night of unrest in the city, patrolling in unmarked cars blocks away rather than in the immediate area on foot.

Richards honed in on the overall chaos from that night, as well as on attacks leveled against Rittenhouse prior to the shooting. Howard confirmed Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse before Rittenhouse initially turned to point his weapon at him. Rosenbaum slowed down but then kept chasing Rittenhouse into the Car Source parking lot, where around 50 people, many armed with bats, were smashing cars and lighting vehicles on fire.

Video captures the sound of four gunshots and shows Rittenhouse backing away from Rosenbaum while other people come to his aid. As Rittenhouse runs away, crowds begin to follow him, pointing him out as the shooter.

Richards questioned Howard on Rittenhouse's reactions after he fell.

“When you are being kicked in the head, you don’t know what’s going to happen to you, is that a fair statement?” Richards said.

“That’s correct," Howard said.

He went on to ask Howard if he'd know what to expect if someone was hitting him with a skateboard or "putting their hands on your weapon."

"You don't know, correct," Howard said.

Earlier in the day, Koerri Washington, a Kenosha resident and social media influencer, spoke about that night, which he captured on video. He said he noticed Rittenhouse, describing him as "nervous," and said he found it strange that he was chain-smoking while he had gloves on.

"He seemed nervous in the situation," Washington said. "But I suppose a lot of people were nervous."

The trial is set to resume Thursday morning and is expected to last at least two weeks.