Kyle Rittenhouse Trial: First Day of Jury Deliberation Ends Without Verdict

Prosecutors have called Rittenhouse a reckless vigilante who was responsible for provoking violence in Kenosha.

Kyle Rittenhouse. 

Photo Courtesy: Wisconsin Public Radio

The first day of jury deliberations of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial for the murder of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and for wounding Gaige Grosskreutz in an attack in which he used a semi-automatic rifle, ended on Tuesday, 16 November, Reuters reported.

The jury did not reach a verdict.

Rittenhouse, who is 18-years-old, is charged with murder during the Kenosha violence, following the unrest that occurred due to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who ended up being paralysed from the waist down due to the police's actions.

Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty and defended himself during his testimony last week.

He claimed that he only used his rifle after he was attacked by protestors, further asserting that Rosenbaum, his first victim, grabbed his weapon's barrel.

Rittenhouse's defence counsel has said that the former was also carrying a medical kit on him and only wanted to provide medical aid to the injured.

The counsel added that the defendant's intention was to avoid property damage that Kenosha had been witnessing for the 48 hours prior to the shooting.

Prosecutors, however, called Rittenhouse a reckless vigilante who was responsible for provoking violent encounters.

Not only did he shoot Rosenbaum and others, thereby leading to a situation where active firing was going on, but he also caused an escalation in the already volatile environment by raising his weapon in a threatening manner.

Demonstrators have gathered outside courtroom, some supporting the teenager while others in support of the victims and racial justice.

(With inputs from Reuters)