Gaige Grosskreutz Admits His Gun Was Pointing at Rittenhouse...
The protester and medic who was wounded by Kyle Rittenhouse during the unrest on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, testified Monday that he was pointing his own gun at Rittenhouse when the young man shot him.
Gaige Grosskreutz was called to the stand Monday as the prosecution’s 16th witness in the murder trial of Rittenhouse, 18, who faces up to life in prison if convicted. Grosskreutz, the third and final man who was shot by Rittenhouse during a night of destructive protests in August 2020, recounted how he drew his own pistol after the bloodshed started.
The video played to the jury just now shows the pair running side by side.
— Jiovanni Lieggi (@lieggiji) November 8, 2021
Grosskreutz said he followed #Rittenhouse, under the assumption he was an active shooter. "Anytime you bring a firearm into that equation, the stakes are much higher for serious injury and death."
Under questioning from the prosecution, Grosskreutz said he had his hands raised as he closed in on Rittenhouse and didn't intend to shoot the young man. Prosecutor Thomas Binger asked Grosskreutz why he didn’t shoot first.
But his testimony unraveled under questioning from the defense. During cross-examination, Rittenhouse defense attorney Corey Chirafisi asked: "It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him … that he fired, right?"
"Correct," Grosskreutz replied. The defense also presented a photo showing Grosskreutz pointing the gun at Rittenhouse, who was on the ground with his rifle pointed up at Grosskreutz.
Grosskreutz, under follow-up questioning from the prosecutor, said he did not intend to point his weapon at Rittenhouse. During his testimony, 27-year-old Grosskreutz explained how he thought Rittenhouse "was an active shooter." Asked what was going through his mind as he got closer to the 17-year-old Rittenhouse, he said, "That I was going to die."
Prosecutors showed graphic images and videos of the injuries that Grosskreutz had suffered when the bullet tore away a large portion of his bicep.
Rittenhouse is on trial for fatally shooting two men and wounding a third. He and at least one friend said they traveled to the Wisconsin city to protect local businesses and provide medical aid after two nights of businesses being looted and set on fire.
Rittenhouse was 17 at the time and brought a medical kit and an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, the latter of which had been supplied to him by a friend and was later used in the shootings. He is charged with two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, recklessly endangering safety and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
Prosecutors have portrayed Rittenhouse as the instigator of the violence. His lawyers have argued that he acted in self-defense. Wisconsin’s self-defense law allows someone to use deadly force only if "necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm." The jury must decide whether Rittenhouse believed he was in such peril at the time and whether that belief was reasonable under the circumstances.
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