The governor of Wisconsin has put 500 National Guard members on standby as Kyle Rittenhouse's murder trial comes to a close, NBC News reports.
Rittenhouse, 18, of Antioch, Illinois, fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz on August 25, 2020, during protests which took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The teenager, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, has been charged with intentional homicide, reckless homicide, and attempted intentional homicide.
The Wisconsin National Guard will stage outside Kenosha on standby in case their service is required by authorities, Governor Tony Evers said in a statement on Friday, November 12.
"I urge folks who are otherwise not from the area to please respect the community by reconsidering any plans to travel there and encourage those who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights to do so safely and peacefully," Evers said in a statement.
At the time of the shooting, Rittenhouse headed to Kenosha with a semi-automatic rifle. He claims he was there to protect businesses and prevent mayhem in the city.
He also said he shot the firearm in self-defense after he was attacked. Anthony Huber, 26, and Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, sustained fatal gunshot wounds, and Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
The prosecution team is arguing that there was no justification for Rittenhouse to use deadly force.
They said Rittenhouse, whose Illinois home is about 20 miles away from Kenosha, was "drawn to the chaos" in the city.
The protests were in response to the police shooting of Blake, a Black man, by a white police officer on August 23, 2020. After he was shot, Blake became paralyzed from the waist down.
Today (November 15), marks the 10th day of the young man's homicide trial and will see both sides present their closing arguments. Following closing arguments, the jury will begin deliberations.
If found guilty of first-degree intentional homicide charge, Rittenhouse could face life in prison. He also faces 60 years behind bars on each of the other homicide-related charges.
He is charged with two reckless endangerment counts, which each carry a sentence of 12 years, and his misdemeanor weapons charge could carry a sentence of nine months.
