Jury deliberations begin in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse
KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) — The fate of Kyle Rittenhouse is now in the jury's hands.
Six of the eighteen jurors were dismissed Tuesday morning, Nov. 16, and the other 12 were sent to deliberate the five counts he faces.
The jury listened to two weeks of testimony in which they were given starkly different portrayals of Rittenhouse's actions the night he shot three men on the streets of Kenosha.
Prosecutors say Rittenhouse was a "wannabe soldier" who provoked a confrontation, while the defense says he feared for his life and acted in self-defense after being ambushed by a "crazy person."
Live Q&A with CBS 58's Kristen Barbaresi and Adam Rife
The jurors were selected by a drawing from a raffle drum. The court had Rittenhouse randomly pick numbered papers from the drum to select the six jurors who would become alternates.
The 12-person jury deciding Rittenhouse's fate are seven women, four white men, and 1 man who is a person of color.
Kyle Rittenhouse randomly draws 6 of the 18 juror numbers. Those are the alternates.
— Kristen Barbaresi (@KristenBarbar) November 16, 2021
The other 12 are about to head in to deliberations. #RittenhouseTrialpic.twitter.com/WDv27GosRo
To the final 12, the judge reminded them that each of the five counts is a separate crime and they must consider each one separately.
Jurors can ask questions, but they must send a note through the court bailiff and the judge will communicate their concern to the attorneys.
For this reason, lawyers were told to stay within 10 minutes of the courthouse.
At this point, the judge said jurors will not be sequestered.
Rittenhouse, then 17, shot two men to death and wounded a third during a tumultuous night of protests against racial injustice in the summer of 2020.
CBS 58 also asked Kenosha Police about their plans ahead of the verdict coming down.
They said that as of right now, there is "no reason to facilitate road closures, enact curfews or ask our communities to modify their daily routines."
In a statement, KPD continued: "The Kenosha Police and Kenosha County Sheriff's Departments understand and recognize the anxiety surrounding the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. There are many questions being asked by our community as well as media outlets. Our departments have worked together and made coordinated efforts over the last year to improve response capabilities to large scale events. We have also strengthened our existing relationships with State and Federal resources."