Supporters of Kyle Rittenhouse and Black Lives Matter protesters were seen clashing outside the courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the jury is deliberating whether or not to acquit Rittenhouse of five felony charges.
Video footage showed the two groups arguing in on the courthouse steps Tuesday afternoon, with one white Rittenhouse supporter telling the crowd, “Get your Black a– back.”
While the Kenosha’s Sheriff’s Department released a statement early in the day announcing they would not be facilitating road closures or enacting curfews ahead of the verdict, local law enforcement was seen monitoring the situation outside the courthouse.
The jury has been deliberating for more than five hours. Rittenhouse is facing five charges in connection to the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber as well as the injuries sustained by Gaige Grosskreutz.
The 18-year-old shot the three men using an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle on August 25, 2020, during the racial justice protest that followed in the days after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man from Kenosha.
Rittenhouse, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, contends he acted in self-defense.
Prosecutors and Rittenhouse’s defense made their closing arguments in court on Monday after two weeks of trial.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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