Opening statements begin for Kyle Rittenhouse trial

Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. He is charged with killing two men and wounding another in 2020 during protests over a police shooting in Kenosha, Wis.

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THOMAS BINGER: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. The evidence in this case will show that on the night of August 25, 2020, here in our community of Kenosha, the defendant Kyle Rittenhouse, who was 17 years old at the time, had armed himself with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle loaded with 30 rounds in the magazine.

On that night, he killed two unarmed people, shot at a third at very close range, and wounded Mr. Grosskreutz in the arm, who was armed with a gun. It is the state's position that this evidence demonstrates the criminal charges against the defendant is intentional homicide of Anthony Huber and his reckless conduct towards the other defendants.

MARK RICHARDS: Ultimately, what this case will come down to, it isn't a whodunit, when did it happen, or anything like that. It is was Kyle Rittenhouse's actions privileged under the law of self-defense? That is that the defendant believed that there was an actual or imminent unlawful interference with his person. The defendant believed that the amount of force which he used or threatened to use was necessary to prevent or terminate interference and that his belief was reasonable. You as jurors will end up looking at it from the standpoint of a 17-year-old under the circumstances as they existed on August 25, 2020.

And Mr. Binger makes a big thing out of Kyle Rittenhouse was the only person who shot somebody that evening. True. Mr. Rittenhouse was the only person who was chased by Joseph Rosenbaum that evening.