Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges Friday after testifying he acted in self-defense in the deadly Kenosha shootings that became a flashpoint in the debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice in the U.S. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.KENOSHA, Wis. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. That is Corrinne Hess of Wisconsin Public Radio on the verdict today for Kyle Rittenhouse, who has been acquitted on all counts against him.Ĭopyright © 2021 NPR.

And I think people are going to start expressing their feelings about how they - how they're doing in different ways.ĬHANG: Absolutely. This was a national case, and it just had a lot of attention.

HESS: Of course, over the next few days, you know, a lot of people are going to have a lot of feelings about this. TAVIS GRANT: So this jury and this judge and this court and many of you in the media saw and heard for yourselves unprecedented rulings, unprecedented bias, unprecedented actions that gave this defendant the kind of leverage and liberty that brought about this verdict. Here's Bishop Tavis Grant - I'm sorry - the national field director for the Rainbow Push Coalition. When the verdict was read, there were cars honking their horns in support of Kyle Rittenhouse. What has been the - response like to this verdict right outside where you are? And to say that we were relieved would be a gross misunderstatement (ph).ĬHANG: Well, Corrinne, you've been at the courthouse all day. We're happy that the jury took the time, put in an incredible amount of effort. The lead defense attorney, Mark Richards, met with media earlier this afternoon. HESS: The prosecution put out a statement saying that they're disappointed, but the verdict must be respected. The jury even asked to see the video again while they deliberated.ĬHANG: Well, what have we heard so far from the prosecution or the defense since the verdict was read? Self-defense was what the defense team always stressed, even as the prosecution liked to use terms like vigilantism. Can you just tell us more about their argument? And I understand that video played a key role in their theory. Well, you know, the defense has said all along that this case was ultimately about self-defense. They were there for the verdict, and they were also very emotional.ĬHANG: I can only imagine. His mother and sisters have not been in the courtroom since the closing arguments on Monday. Rittenhouse was picked up by someone on his defense team, and one of his lawyers hugged him. When all of the counts were read, Rittenhouse grabbed his chest and fell to his knees. By the third charge, Rittenhouse's lip began to quiver, and he started to cry. As the juror read, not guilty, Rittenhouse got more and more emotional. Rittenhouse was charged with five felonies. What was Rittenhouse's immediate reaction when he heard it? I know that you were in the courtroom when the verdict was read. Corrinne Hess of Wisconsin Public Radio has been covering this trial, and she joins us now.ĬHANG: So this verdict came after more than 25 hours of deliberation on the fourth day the jury was out.

Rittenhouse shot and killed two people and wounded a third. Rittenhouse opened fire last year during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black resident. In Kenosha, Wis., today, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges in his high-profile homicide trial.

Rittenhouse found not guilty