Kyle Rittenhouse Found Not Guilty on All Charges

Eighteen-year old Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of all charges Friday after pleading self-defense in fatal shootings during a night of racial justice protests and violent riots in August 2020.

Rittenhouse shot and killed two men and wounded a third amid chaos in Kenosha, Wisconsin following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He was charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide and two counts of recklessly endangering safety, and faced life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge. The jury seemed to agree with Rittenhouse's self-defense claim in shooting the men, who appeared to attack or point guns at him in videos viewed by jurors. The decision followed nearly a week of deliberations, mistrial requests and other courtroom controversies. 

The case and trial divided media across the spectrum. Some voices on the left have framed the judge as biased; accused the right of glorifying violence; or argued that anything short of a guilty verdict would represent racial inequality. Voices on the right often criticized the prosecution's case and the politicization of the trial; accused mainstream media of bias against Rittenhouse; and condemned efforts to pain Rittenhouse as a symbol of violent prejudice. Some voices also defended Rittenhouse's actions. Coverage from left- and center-rated outlets often described the events of August 2020 as unrest or protests; some also focused on the observation that the jury was mostly white. Reports from right-rated sources often described the events in Kenosha as being violent.