Rittenhouse found not guilty on all charges

At the end of 3½ days of deliberation, a jury on Friday in Kenosha, Wis., acquitted 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangering. Last Monday, Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed a gun possession charge and a curfew charge from the case, two charges for which the state was confident of a conviction. Rittenhouse shot and killed two men and injured another in August 2020 during anti-police protests in downtown Kenosha. Prosecutors accused him of instigating a fight with protesters, while the defense argued he acted in self-defense.

How did the public respond to the verdict? On Sunday, several dozen protesters followed the route Rittenhouse took last August in Kenosha. They held signs and chanted, “No justice, no peace.” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers deployed 500 National Guard troops near Kenosha on Friday in anticipation of potential protests. Some 1,000 people marched through downtown Chicago on Saturday, while dozens met near the state capitol building in North Carolina to protest the verdict. Authorities in Portland, Ore. declared a riot on Friday night as a gathering of about 200 demonstrators turned violent.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Reichard’s interview with criminal justice professor Steve Meacham about the key questions in the Kenosha trial.