Judge Dismisses Dangerous Weapon Charge in Rittenhouse Case

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial on Monday dismissed a misdemeanor charge for possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the charge after prosecutors admitted that Rittenhouse was not carrying a short-barreled rifle in August 2020 when he killed two people in Kenosha, Wis. Wisconsin law only bans 17- and 18-year-olds from carrying short-barreled weapons.

While the charge is only a misdemeanor, it was the likeliest to garner a conviction, the Star Tribune reported.

Rittenhouse, who was 17 when the incident took place, says he killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz in self-defense. Huber and Grosskreutz were in Kenosha to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Video evidence shows that Rosenbaum chased Rittenhouse through a parking lot and that Huber attacked Rittenhouse and tried to grab Rittenhouse’s gun.

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I defended myself,” Rittenhouse said during the trial.

The case has sparked controversy regarding gun rights, policing, and protests.

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