Kyle Rittenhouse has been found not guilty.

A jury in Kenosha, Wisconsin, found Rittenhouse not guilty of murder and other charges on Friday.

On August 25, 2020, Rittenhouse fired at four men, killing two and wounding a third, with a semiautomatic rifle. Rittenhouse was in downtown Kenosha protecting a car dealership during the riots that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

NBA After Kenosha: A Timeline Of Basketball’s Response To The Protests Through The Kyle Rittenhouse Trial

Blake, a black man, had been shot multiple times by Rusten Sheskey, a white police officer, in Kenosha, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Sheskey was ultimately not charged by state or federal prosecutors.

Rittenhouse, then a 17-year-old from Antioch, Ill., Joined a group of other gunmen in downtown Kenosha. He shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz, the last of whom survived. Rittenhouse surrendered to police in Antioquia on August 26 and was extradited to Kenosha, where he was charged with the following:

  • Reckless murder in the first degree, use of a dangerous weapon
  • First degree recklessly endangering safety, use of dangerous weapon
  • Intentional murder in the first degree, use of a dangerous weapon
  • Attempted willful murder in the first degree, use of a dangerous weapon
  • First degree recklessly endangering safety, use of dangerous weapon
  • Possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under the age of 18 (later dismissed)
  • Failure to comply with a state or local government emergency order (later dismissed)

Most of the incident was videotaped and the subsequent trial became highly polarized. The prosecution in the case argued that Rittenhouse provoked the protesters before shooting them, while the defense argued that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.

The Milwaukee Bucks are scheduled to play at home tonight at 8 pm ET / 7 pm CT. The Bucks, who play 40 miles from Kenosha, were the first NBA team to boycott after protests in the summer of 2020.

Following the verdict in the case that garnered national attention, the sports world responded to the news that Rittenhouse was found not guilty.

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