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Homicide Trial of Teen Gunman Kyle Rittenhouse Gets Underway in Wisconsin

HeadlineNov 02, 2021

In Wisconsin, opening arguments begin today in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, a white teenager who faces seven charges, including homicide, for fatally shooting two men and wounding a third amid anti-police brutality protests in Kenosha last year. There is only one person of color on the jury. Rittenhouse was just 17 years old in August 2020 when he brought an illegally obtained AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle across state lines from Illinois and joined other armed white vigilantes in the streets of Kenosha during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The judge overseeing the trial has ruled the three protesters shot by Rittenhouse cannot be labeled “victims” during the trial but can be called “rioters,” “looters” or “arsonists,” if the defense can provide evidence to justify such terms.

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