Me First

A US teenager charged with shooting three people during civil unrest on The Streets of Wisconsin Last Year has taken The Stand in his own defence.

Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears, forcing a brief recess, as he described how he was " cornered" by several men and acted in self-defence.

Prosecutors have alleged Mr Rittenhouse, 18, was looking for trouble That Night .

The teen has pleaded Not Guilty to all charges against him.

Mr Rittenhouse is facing counts of reckless, intentional and attempted homicide after he shot two men dead and wounded another in The City of Kenosha on 25 August 2020.

Riots had erupted on The Streets of The City Two Days earlier, after police shot a Black Man , Jacob Blake. Mr Rittenhouse had travelled to The City from his home in Illinois and, with a semi-automatic rifle in tow, He Said he sought to help protect property from unrest on The Streets .

Testifying In Court on Wednesday, He Said : " I didn't do anything wrong. I defended myself. "

Mr Rittenhouse said on The Stand he was in town because he had seen the destruction caused by the unrest. In particular, he mentioned seeing on Social Media that a Police Officer had a brick thrown at his head.

He detailed how he had joined up with other armed civilians to protect a series of local car dealerships, adding the owner " was Happy We were there".

Before the shootings, Mr Rittenhouse claimed, he provided medical assistance to at least Two People . He Said he had worked as a firefighter and first responder cadet in his hometown, so he was able to administer First Aid and basic emergency care.

He also testified that he and others had been moving around to put out fires and clean up graffiti.

Describing scenes of chaos to The Jury , Mr Rittenhouse said he heard people shouting " get him".

" The person that attacked Me First threatened to Kill Me , " He Said of Joseph Rosenbaum, the First Person he shot. He told The Jury he believed Mr Rosenbaum was carrying a chain with him at one point, though he later learned it was a Plastic Bag .

The Judge called for a break after Mr Rittenhouse burst into tears as he began to describe to The Jury the moments before the fatal shootings. His Mother was also seen sobbing in The Gallery .

Upon his return to The Stand , the teen said he had nowhere to run at The Time , later adding: " I didn't intend to kill. I intended to stop the person who was trying to Kill Me and trying to steal my gun. "

Mr Rittenhouse said he shot and killed Mr Rosenbaum after Mr Rosenbaum had laid a hand on his rifle.

Video from The Scene shows the teen fall to the ground as he is chased. Mr Rittenhouse said it led him to fear for his life even more, as several men converged upon him.

He testified that he shot Anthony Huber, his second victim, after Mr Huber hit him with his skateboard and also tried to grab his rifle.

He Said Gaige Grosskreutz, The Man he wounded in The Arm , had approached him with a pistol pointed at his head.

Mr Grosskreutz, The Third person to be shot by Mr Rittenhouse, testified This Week he thought Mr Rittenhouse was an " active shooter" when he drew his own gun and advanced on him.

Prosecutors argue that Mr Rittenhouse inserted himself into The Situation and intended to kill everyone he shot that evening.

" I used Deadly Force to stop The Threat that was attacking me, " Mr Rittenhouse responded.

In a testy cross-examination, prosecutor Thomas Binger contested the teen's right to possess a rifle and questioned the extent of his medical training.

But Mr Binger's line of questioning drew a furious reprimand from Judge Bruce Shroeder, who accused him of violating a pre-trial ruling on certain pieces of evidence.

The legal teams continued to butt heads after lunch, as prosecutors continued to raise issues with Mr Rittenhouse's testimony and alleged he was changing his story to fit a narrative.

Mr Binger made specific reference to a Social Media post in which Mr Rittenhouse said he was " just trying to be famous" and photos prosecutors say show him posing with far-right provocateurs. This again drew the ire of Judge Schroeder, who berated him for repeatedly introducing evidence that was not relevant to The Trial .

Defence attorneys alleged " prosecutorial overreaching" and pushed for a mistrial with prejudice.

A motion for mistrial with prejudice cannot be appealed by prosecutors. Judge Schroeder did not rule on the motion, but agreed to take it under advisement.

The State rested its case on Tuesday. Mr Rittenhouse is The Third witness on The Stand for the defence and his testimony may be pivotal in deciding his Fate .

Source of news: bbc.com