Kyle Rittenhouse trial verdict – live: Protests ramp up outside court as jury deliberates

Kyle Rittenhouse picked his jury out of a raffle drum, whittling down the 18 jurors to a total of 12.

A jury is deliberating on the verdict in the double homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two men and injured another in the aftermath of protests against police violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year, and will consider a range of charges against him.

Throughout the two-week trial, jurors reviewed more than a dozen pieces of video, including livestreams from that night, an interview Mr Rittenhouse gave moments before he fired his gun, body camera footage, and aerial video from the FBI.

Jurors also heard testimony from police, people who witnessed the shootings, as well as the sole survivor, street medic Gaige Grosskreutz, and Mr Rittenhouse himself.

Alex Woodward explains more here:

The upcoming verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial for shooting three men comes amid deep political divisions and expanded access to guns across the US which some fear could lead to more dangerous encounters.

The 18-year-old said that he fired in self-defense, however, prosecutors say that he started the deadly chain of events by traveling from his home in nearby Illinois with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle.

Although legal experts have said that Rittenhouse has a strong argument for self-defense, some are concerned about the broader signal that an acquittal could send.

“It’s easy to see how an acquittal could send the message that there are no consequences for showing up armed wherever you want, and then when situations escalate, you pull the trigger and get away with it,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety.

The case as many other states are expanding self-defense laws and loosening permitting requirements for carrying guns in public. Indeed, both gun sales and gun violence have separately been on the rise.

Jurors are set to return to the courthouse on Wednesday for a second day of deliberations in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

The jury of 12 deliberated for the whole day on Tuesday but did not reach a decision.

Several of the members of the jury appeared to be tired as they walked into the courtroom on Tuesday evening, before indicating with a show of hands that they were ready to go home.

The case went to an anonymous jury of 12, from an initial 18. Members of the jury were chosen by raffle drum after Judge Bruce Schroeder unusually allowed Rittenhouse himself to play a minor role and select the final panel.

Rittenhouse reached into a drum and pulled out numbered slips that determined which of the 18 jurors would deliberate and which ones would be dismissed.

The Governor of Wisconsin again asked those looking to demonstrate to do so “safely.”

He wrote on Twitter: “Please respect the Kenosha community and their efforts to come together. I ask all those who choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights in every community to do so safely and peacefully.”

Before later adding: “Regardless of the outcome in this case, I urge peace in Kenosha and across our state.”

Jury deliberations can take anywhere between a few minutes and a few months, with no time limit set.

In most US states and all federal courts, the jury needs to come to a unanimous decision which means that the deliberations can sometimes take months.

The 12 jurors selected for the Rittenhouse trial were chosen from a pool of 18. Judge Schroeder confirmed that the process of the defendant electing from the jury tumbler to eliminate jurors, is a tradition he has had in his courtroom for 20 years.

Judge Schroeder said that it is not a Kenosha County tradition, although he believes that it is adopted by others.

A crowd gathered outside the courthouse, as deliberations continue on the much-awaited judgement of Kyle Rittenhouse. Some people were in support of the 18-year-old accused and others opposed.

Among the dozens of people, Republican Mark McCloskey, a candidate for the US Senate in Missouri, and his wife, Patricia, were both in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Monday and Tuesday to show support for Mr Rittenhouse.

The McCloskeys gained national attention after they waved guns at racial injustice protesters who were marching in their gated St. Louis subdivision last summer.

Mark McCloskey compared himself to Mr Rittenhouse, saying they have both been prosecuted and were defending themselves from an “angry mob.”

Here’s more from scenes outside the court:

Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand in his murder trial earlier, testifying about how he shot three men during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha Wisconsin, last year.

Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz. He faces multiple charges, including intentional homicide. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, has argued that the men attacked him and he fired in self-defense.

Here’s a look at some highlights from his testimony:

Jurors weighing charges against Kyle Rittenhouse were to return Wednesday for the second day of deliberations in his murder trial, after they failed to reach a swift verdict on whether he was the instigator in a night of bloodshed in Kenosha or a concerned citizen who came under attack while trying to protect property.

The jury of 12 deliberated for a full day Tuesday without reaching a decision. Several appeared tired as they walked into the courtroom Tuesday evening and indicated with a show of hands that they were ready to go home.

Here’s everything that happened on Tuesday and what can be expected on the second day:

ICYMI: As the nation’s eyes are glued to the televised Rittenhouse trial, broadcast widely across news networks and streamed online by media outlets, viewers have scrutinised the judge presiding over the high-profile case, which has touched on issues of white vigilantism, racial justice protests and the criminal justice system itself.

Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder is Wisconsin’s longest-service active trial judge who, at 75 years old, has said that he has tried more homicide cases than any judge in the state.

His courtroom manner and arguments with prosecutors have drawn significant attention as the trial draws to a close, with Mr Rittenhouse facing a mandatory life sentence if convicted on the most serious charges against him.

The Independent’s Alex Woodward reports: