Kyle Rittenhouse, an 18-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, will stand trial Monday for the shootings of three men — two of whom died — in the aftermath of demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020.
The protests in Kenosha erupted after Rusten Sheskey, a Kenosha police officer, shot and wounded Jacob Blake. The episode was captured on cellphone video and came only months after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis set off protests nationally about police abuse of Black Americans.
Kenosha, a former industrial hub of 100,000 people on the western shore of Lake Michigan, experienced widespread looting, arson and property destruction in the days after the police shooting. The shootings by Rittenhouse, which he contends were committed in self-defense, occurred on the third night of protests.
Rittenhouse faces six counts, including homicide charges. Here is what has happened in the case.
Who is Kyle Rittenhouse?
When the protests over the shooting of Blake took place, Rittenhouse was a 17-year-old who lived with his mother in Antioch, a small town in Illinois just over the Wisconsin border.
Long before the shooting, his social media was filled with posts supporting police and Blue Lives Matter. Rittenhouse had also served as a cadet in a program for young aspiring police officers.
He had some ties to Kenosha, despite living in a different state: His father lived in the city and Rittenhouse had worked as a lifeguard in Kenosha County.