A jury on Friday found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts in his murder trial connected to the shootings of three people during unrest in Kenosha during the summer of 2020. NBC 5’s Charlie Wojciechowski reports.
Expressing heartbreak and sadness over the not guilty verdict in Kyle Rittenhouse's trial, the parents of Anthony Huber, one of the men fatally shot by the then 17-year-old, affirmed that their son will "have his day in court" as they continue their pursuit for justice.
Rittenhouse was acquitted on all counts Friday in connection with the August 2020 shooting in which he injured two men and wounded a third during a turbulent night of protests that erupted in Kenosha after a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot by a white police officer.
Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, were fatally shot. Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, was wounded.
Video of the incident showed a man, identified as Huber, swinging a skateboard at Rittenhouse before he was shot. Grosskreutz had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse and was then shot.
In a statement, Karen Bloom and John Huber, the parents of Anthony Huber, said there was no justice for their son or the other two victims.
"...We watched the trial closely, hoping it would bring us closure," they said in a statement released through attorneys. "That did not happen. Today’s verdict means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son. It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street."
Bloom and John Huber called for others to join them in rejecting that message and demanding more of laws, officials and the justice system.
"Make no mistake: our fight to hold those responsible for Anthony’s death accountable continues in full force," they added. "Neither Mr. Rittenhouse nor the Kenosha police who authorized his bloody rampage will escape justice. Anthony will have his day in court."
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The parents said Anthony Huber was shot in the chest trying to disarm Rittenhouse and "stop his shooting spree."
"We are so proud of Anthony, and we love him so much," they said. "He is a hero who sacrificed his own life to protect other innocent civilians. We ask that you remember Anthony and keep him in your prayers."
The full statement from Huber's parents is below:
"We are heartbroken and angry that Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in his criminal trial for the murder of our son Anthony Huber. There was no justice today for Anthony, or for Mr. Rittenhouse’s other victims, Joseph Rosenbaum and Gaige Grosskreutz.
We did not attend the trial because we could not bear to sit in a courtroom and repeatedly watch videos of our son’s murder, and because we have been subjected to many hurtful and nasty comments in the past year. But we watched the trial closely, hoping it would bring us closure.
That did not happen. Today’s verdict means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son. It sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street. We hope that decent people will join us in forcefully rejecting that message and demanding more of our laws, our officials, and our justice system.
Make no mistake: our fight to hold those responsible for Anthony’s death accountable continues in full force. Neither Mr. Rittenhouse nor the Kenosha police who authorized his bloody rampage will escape justice. Anthony will have his day in court.
No reasonable person viewing all of the evidence could conclude that Mr. Rittenhouse acted in self-defense. In response to racist and violent calls to action from militia members, Mr. Rittenhouse travelled to Kenosha illegally armed with an assault rifle. He menaced fellow citizens in the street. Though he was in open violation of a curfew order, Kenosha police encouraged him to act violently. Kenosha police told militia members that they would push peaceful protestors toward the militia so that the militia could “deal with them.” Soon after, Mr. Rittenhouse killed Joseph Rosenbaum. The police did nothing. Concerned citizens, confronted with a person shooting indiscriminately on the street, stepped in to stop the violence. Anthony was shot in the chest trying to disarm Mr. Rittenhouse and stop his shooting spree. Still, the police did nothing. Mr. Rittenhouse continued to shoot, maiming Gaige Grosskreutz. The police let Mr. Rittenhouse leave the scene freely. Mr. Rittenhouse came to Kenosha armed to kill. Kenosha police encouraged him to act violently, and our son is dead as a result.
We are so proud of Anthony, and we love him so much. He is a hero who sacrificed his own life to protect other innocent civilians. We ask that you remember Anthony and keep him in your prayers."
