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Jury in Kyle Rittenhouse trial ends first day of deliberations with no verdict

Kyle Rittenhouse
Posted at 4:26 AM, Nov 16, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-16 19:16:37-05

Jurors in the trial for Kyle Rittenhouse were dismissed for the evening after their first day of deliberations.

The jury deliberated for nearly nine hours Tuesday.

They are tasked with determining whether Kyle Rittenhouse is responsible for the deaths of the two protesters he fatally shot in August 2020 amid protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, against police brutality and racial injustice.

During Tuesday's deliberations, Judge Bruce Schroeder said jurors requested 11 copies of jury instructions from page 7 to 36. In the morning, they requested 11 copies of the instructions from page 1 to 6. The jury instructions are 36 pages long.

The jury will reconvene on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Rittenhouse was 17 when he traveled from his home in nearby Antioch, Illinois, to Kenosha as protests gripped the city following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse and others armed themselves with the goal of protecting local businesses from looters and vandals.

Amid demonstrations on Aug. 25, Rittenhouse shot three protesters, killing two. Police allowed him to leave the scene, but he later turned himself in to authorities.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution has tried to paint Rittenhouse as the aggressor in an attempt to nullify his claims of self-defense.

The defense argued the opposite, saying Rittenhouse felt his life was in jeopardy.

Rittenhouse faces charges of first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. He faces life in prison if convicted on one of the intentional homicide counts.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has already called on the Wisconsin National Guard to assist local law enforcement in anticipation of potential unrest in the city following the jury's decision.