Former President Trump congratulated Kyle Rittenhouse after a jury found him not guilty of all charges at the conclusion of his homicide trial in Kenosha, Wis., Friday afternoon.
A jury in Kenosha acquitted Rittenhouse of all five charges brought against him, including intentional homicide. Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety after he fatally shot two men and injured a third during civil unrest in Kenosha last year.
“Congratulations to Kyle Rittenhouse for being found INNOCENT of all charges,” Trump said in a statement Friday.
“It’s called being found NOT GUILTY – And by the way, if that’s not self defense, nothing is!” he added.
The teen had traveled from Illinois to Kenosha after illegally purchasing an AR-15 from a friend and arrived as demonstrators were protesting against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back seven times by police. Blake survived the shooting, but the injuries he sustained left him paralyzed.
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