Livestream: Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Resumes

KENOSHA, WI — The state will continue to present its case Wednesday in the jury trial for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old accused of killing two protesters and wounding a third.

Rittenhouse is charged with first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted homicide, two counts of recklessly endangering safety and possessing a firearm while under 18. He faces live in prison if convicted.

He is accused of shooting and killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, Wisconsin, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, Wisconsin, amid protests in downtown Kenosha following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

The trial got under at 9 a.m. CST. The following is a live stream from the courtroom.

On Wednesday, testimony continued from Koerri Washington, a Kenosha resident who was in downtown Kenosha the night of Aug. 25, 2020, shooting video of the protests and unrest. Prosecutors played his video, and noted when Huber and Grosskreutz walked by. They also noted when the first shots were fired by Rittenhouse.

Defense Attorney Corey Chirafisi began his cross-examination of Washington about an hour into the trial. Washington, who described himself as a social media influencer, said he was familiar with the Kenosha community and talked about how he started noticing out-of-town residents coming to the city in the days prior to the fatal shooting.

"There was a lot that went on in that week or two and I didn't get a lot of sleep," he said.

On Tuesday, Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger and defense attorney Mark Richards made their opening statements.

Binger said that Rittenhouse had arrived in Kenosha to incite violence, and pointed out he was the only one who shot another person on Aug. 25, 2020. While guns and fireworks went off, Rittenhouse wasn't shot at in stream footage, Binger said.

"Hundreds of people in the street experienced chaos and violence, but [Rittenhouse] was the only person who killed someone," he added.

Binger described stream footage of Rittenhouse shooting Rosenbaum and the fatal wound the 36-year-old received. The last bullet that struck Rosenbaum was in his back after he had fell, he said.

Richards is arguing his client acted in self-defense, and that self-defense laws would protect him. The attorney also described photos of people holding different weapons around Rittenhouse, such as guns, rocks and a noose.

"You as jurors will end up looking at it from the standpoint of a 17-year-old under the circumstances as they existed," defense attorney Mark Richards said.

The first person called to testify Tuesday was Dominic Black, 20, who was friends with Rittenhouse when he bought him an AR-15-style rifle in Ladysmith, Wisconsin.

Black was able to identify the rifle he and Rittenhouse carried while at different Car Source lots in Kenosha. He also said that he was the one who drove Rittenhouse back to Antioch after the shooting, but didn't witness the shooting in person.

There were 11 men and nine women chosen to serve in the jury Monday, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. Many potential jurors had to be excused over conflicts of interest, scheduling problems, health conditions and for other reasons.

"Nobody wants to sit in this chair," one potential juror said at the selection. She said she was worried about going to her car or being able to get home safe after a decision was made in the case.

Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder said he had never heard of a juror being hurt in his 38 years as a judge.

Schroeder listed the names of people who could possibly testify during the trial, including Kenosha and West Allis police officers, Rittenhouse's family members, and the families of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, who were both shot and killed on Aug. 25, 2020.

Binger asked potential jurors if any of them were involved in Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha in 2020. He also asked if any potential jurors felt encouraged to buy a gun after the protests, and a few responded.

Chirafisi asked potential jurors if they had experience with firearms, or if they felt strongly enough about firearms that they wouldn't be able to judge the case fairly.

Protests in Kenosha started after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, seven times in the back in August of 2020. The days of protest took place amid a backdrop of racial justice protests across the country. Local and federal investigators cleared Rusten Sheskey, the officer who shot Blake, of wrongdoing.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

See Also: Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: What To Know When Jury Selection Begins