Courthouse Erupted Into Scenes Of Chaos, Shouting n Pushing Due To Verdict

Relatives of Jacob Blake, whose shooting in the back seven times by police prompted the protest that drew in Mr Rittenhouse, called for justice for the victims and a more fair legal system that they hoped would have seen him behind bars.

According to report, the crowd outside the Kenosha courthouse erupted into scenes of chaos, shouting and pushing on Friday as Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted on all charges.

Supporters of the teenager waved signs and proclaimed victory over loud speakers for gun control activists, self-defence and conservative causes - some of which had nothing to do with the violence that unfolded on 25 August 2020.

People from both sides of the divide began descending on the courthouse following the verdict as passing cars honked loudly - most in support of the Illinois teenager - and security forces beefed up with cruisers, a hovering helicopter and officers clad in balaclavas with their names and service divisions blacked out with duct tape.

One woman, screaming and emotional, suffered what appeared to be a seizure on the freezing cold steps of the courthouse. At least one person present with EMT training complained to The Independent that he could not reach the woman to give as she was encircled by officers and eventually whisked off in an ambulance.

The steps of the Kenosha County Courthouse in Wisconsin erupted into chaos following the acquittal on all five felony charges of Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, who killed two people and wounded a third last year (Sheila Flynn/The Independent)

The steps of the Kenosha County Courthouse in Wisconsin erupted into chaos following the acquittal on all five felony charges of Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, who killed two people and wounded a third last year (Sheila Flynn/The Independent)

April Johnson, 27, and her 33-year-old sister, Andrea, brought their three children to the courthouse after hearing about the verdict that left them “frustrated and angry,” Andrea says.

“This is white privilege,” she tells The Independent. “This is so impossible that this boy is not guilty at all ... Everybody’s gonna think that they can do stuff like this - walk around with guns, for one, and shoot people.”

She adds: “First of all, even [if] I was just in court for a driving license [offence,] can’t no African American stand behind a judge and lean over and get that close” - referring to a now infamous-photo of Rittenhouse viewing evidence from behind his trial judge’s shoulder.