YouTube

Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand Wednesday to testify in the trial that charges him with killing two men and wounding a third during a protest last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Rittenhouse went to Kenosha in August 2020 during the protests that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit in what he has said was an effort to safeguard property damaged during the demonstrations.

Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, claiming self-defense. His appearance follows the prosecution resting their case after five and a half days of testimony that tried to portray Rittenhouse as the aggressor on the night of the shootings.

Rittenhouse’s decision to testify came despite several legal experts saying that an underwhelming prosecution case had made it less likely he would need to do so. Rittenhouse, now 18, could get life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges against him.

Read more: pbs.org