KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Closing arguments have begun at Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial in the shootings of three men during street unrest in Kenosha in a case that has underscored bitter division in the U.S. over guns, protests and policing.
Each side gets 2 1/2 hours Monday to make its case to the jury before deliberations begin.
Prosecutors have sought to portray Rittenhouse as the aggressor who created a dangerous situation that night with his semi-automatic rifle, while Rittenhouse has said he feared for his life and acted in self-defense when he killed two men and wounded a third.
The 18-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, faces a mandatory life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge against him, first-degree intentional homicide.
Rittenhouse was 17 when he traveled the few miles from his home to Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, as the city was in the throes of violent protests that erupted after a white police officer shot and wounded Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse said he went there to protect property.