Bottom line: Even if you want to strip away all political context, Rittenhouse running around pointing his gun at people provoked the first shooting incident. Everything that followed was people trying to disarm an active shooter. Provoking/causing means no self-defense claim.
And watching the video over and over of Rittenhouse pumping four shots into Rosenbaum, continuing to shoot as he crumples and even after he's down is very chilling. Kid thinks he's Seal Team Six killing al Qaeda. Doesn't look like self defense though.
"The kill shot is the one to the back."
Gaige Grosskreutz never pointed his gun at Kyle Rittenhouse before Rittenhouse shot his bicep. At that point his arm fell into a position that could appear to be him pointing his gun. He had no functioning gun arm bicep at that point, as his arm was falling from being shot.
The frame by frame presentation by the prosecution of the encounter between Rittenhouse and Grosskreutz very clearly shows that.
That straw purchase AR-15 in Rittenhouse's 17 year old hands shooting full metal jacket ammo that can go 550 yards, penetrate bodies and kill bystanders, in a super crowded urban setting is deeply chilling. Then he goes and parties with white nationalist proud boys to celebrate.
The Car Source lot Rittenhouse makes such a big deal about "defending" was empty that night. The owners, who never asked for Rittenhouse's help, had moved all the cars off the lot. A reasonable defensive move from their perspective.
Ryan Balch patrolled with Rittenhouse that night and claims Rosenbaum made a death threat, specifically at the sight of a dumpster fire, but there is video of that entire sequence. No video or recording of the threat exists. Not then, not at any point that night.
"The Run Down Live" footage captured the dumpster fire moments and Rosenbaum is nowhere in the (Very wide) frame where he allegedly made death threats.
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