Judge considers the term victim as a "loaded" word 1:39
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In August 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse, then 17 years old, wandered through the dark streets of Kenosha wearing a backwards baseball cap, a green T-shirt and a long rifle.
That night, protesters took to the streets of Wisconsin city to demand justice after a police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back as his children watched from his car.
As the 29-year-old black man fought for his life in hospital, people marched in the streets for three days.
On occasion, protesters and armed civilians clashed, but on the night of August 25 things took a deadly turn.
Judge could allow men Kyle Rittenhouse shot to be called "troublemakers" or "looters", the word "victim" is not allowed
The teen got into a fight with protesters near a car dealership and opened fire, allegedly killing two people and wounding a third, according to a criminal complaint.
Rittenhouse is charged with felony murder in connection with the shooting and murder of Anthony M. Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, and with attempted felony murder for allegedly wounding Gaige Grosskreutz.
He is also charged with possession of a dangerous weapon when he was under the age of 18, a misdemeanor, according to court records.
He has pleaded not guilty.
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Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, at a pre-trial hearing in the Kenosha Circuit Court, Wisconsin, on Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, before his trial scheduled to begin Nov. 1.
This is what happened during the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and everything you need to know before the trial.
How the deadly confrontation happened
Around 11:45 pm on August 25, 2020 - hours after the 8:00 pm curfew - Rittenhouse was walking the streets near the car dealership holding what investigators later determined to be "a rifle. Smith & Wesson AR-15 style .223 ", according to the criminal complaint.
The social media accounts believed to be owned by him show a young white man with an affinity for guns who supports "Blue Lives Matter" and former President Donald Trump.
A video posted on a Snapchat account believed to belong to him placed him at the site of the protests.
The clips show a few seconds from the point of view of someone carrying a long rifle and police announcements can be heard over the loudspeakers.
OPINION |
The Kenosha shooting didn't come out of nowhere
In those demonstrations, the complaint says, Rittenhouse was confronted by a group of people gathered near the car dealership for unspecified reasons.
Rosenbaum was unarmed and threw an object that appeared to be a plastic bag and missed, according to the complaint.
Rosenbaum and the suspect crossed the parking lot and appeared to be very close when suddenly loud pops sounded and Rosenbaum fell to the ground, according to the complaint.
As Rosenbaum lay on the ground, the suspect made a call and said, "I just killed someone" while on the run, the complaint alleges.
His friend received a call from him at 11:46 pm saying he shot someone, says an investigator in the complaint.
Rittenhouse was chased by protesters, then tripped and fell to the ground.
As he lay on the ground, a second person identified as Huber approached him with a skateboard in his right hand, the complaint says.
The 26-year-old killed in the Kenosha shooting, Anthony Huber, was trying to protect those around him, says his girlfriend
"When Huber reaches for the defendant, it appears that he is reaching for the defendant's gun with his left hand when the skateboard makes contact with the defendant's left shoulder ... The defendant rolls to his left side and Huber appears to be trying to grab him. The gun targets Huber's body. The defendant then fires a round ... Huber staggers, takes several steps, and then collapses to the ground, "the complaint says.
He then shot a third approaching protester, Grosskreutz, in the right arm.
Grosskreutz was holding a pistol but had his hands up, the complaint said.
Rittenhouse left the scene shortly after the August 25 shootings and returned to his home in Antioch, Illinois, where he was arrested the next day.
Gaige Grosskreutz, the sole survivor of the shooting during the Kenosha protests.
The defense maintains that it acted in self-defense
Defense attorneys contend that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense when he shot and killed the two protesters.
During a telephone interview with The Washington Post, Rittenhouse indicated that he went to Kenosha on August 24 for his lifeguard work, and the following night, as protests continued, Rittenhouse and his friend Dominick Black armed themselves and went downtown to help out. Another friend to protect a used car dealership and provide medical assistance to people with minor injuries.
"I was going to a place where people had guns and God forbid, someone brought a gun and decided to shoot me. I wanted to be protected and I ended up having to protect myself," Rittenhouse told the Post.
Rittenhouse told the Post that he is not part of any armed group, but that he joined other armed men and women, whom he called "strangers" who were also present, to help protect the property.
When asked by the Post if he regretted having a gun that night, he said no.
"No, I don't regret it. I feel like I had to protect myself. I would have died that night if I hadn't," he said.
How the case has developed
On October 30 Rittenhouse was extradited from Illinois to Wisconsin.
The following week, his bail was set at $ 2 million because the court deemed him a "flight risk," according to Kenosha County Commissioner Loren Keating.
Rittenhouse was released on November 20 after Lin Wood, president and CEO of #FightBack, posted the $ 2 million bond, according to the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department.
Wood said in a tweet - which is currently unavailable - that Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow, Inc., and others helped raise the necessary funds for Rittenhouse.
On December 3, Rittenhouse attended a preliminary hearing remotely via video conference with Mark Richards, his attorney.
Richards accused prosecutors during the hearing of presenting "a partial and forced view" of the events of that night.
The court determined that Rittenhouse would be tried.
At an arraignment on January 5, Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to two felony homicide counts and one attempted murder felony, among other charges.
His trial is scheduled to begin on November 1.
Judge could allow the men he shot to be called "agitators" or "looters"
On Monday, Rittenhouse's legal team and prosecutors attended a pretrial hearing to review pending issues before jury selection begins on November 1.
The conversation revolved around whether defense attorneys could refer to Huber, Rosenbaum and Grosskreutz as "arsonists", "agitators" or "looters" because of their alleged behavior during the chaotic and fierce demonstrations.
"Let the evidence show what it has to show, that one or one of these people were involved in fires, riots or looting, then I am not going to tell the defense that they cannot call them that," Bruce Schroeder said at the hearing, Kenosha County Circuit Judge.
Schroeder has an old rule of not allowing prosecutors to refer to people as "victims" at trial.
His statements generated conflicting positions.
What do we know about Kyle Rittenhouse?
The 18-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, is a former member of a youth police cadet program with an affinity for guns, according to police and his social media profiles.
In Grayslake, Illinois, Police Chief Phillip L. Perlini said the suspect in the shooting was a former Public Safety Cadet.
The program offers youth the opportunity to explore careers in law enforcement.
Due to the person's age and state law, the chief said the department could not comment further.
Social media accounts believed to belong to the suspect portray a young white man with an affinity for guns who supports "Blue Lives Matter" and former President Donald Trump.
Kyle Rittenhouse's TikTok profile photo.
CNN's Faith Karimi, Amir Vera, Nicole Chavez, Christina Maxouris, Paul P. Murphy, Raja Razek, Brad Parks and Kay Jones contributed to this report.
Donald TrumpJacob BlakeShooting