Kyle Rittenhouse trial: 500 National Guard troops activated ahead of verdict in Wisconsin

KENOSHA, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Friday activated about 500 of the state’s Army National Guard troops in anticipation of a verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.

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Rittenhouse, 18, is accused of killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz during August 2020 protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Jury instructions and closing arguments are scheduled for Monday, with deliberations expected to begin that same day, WITI reported.

Rittenhouse, whose host of charges includes two counts of first-degree reckless homicide and attempted first-degree intentional homicide, was 17 at the time of the shootings.

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“We continue to be in close contact with our partners at the local level to ensure the state provides support and resources to help keep the Kenosha community and greater area safe,” Evers stated in a news release. “The Kenosha community has been strong, resilient, and has come together through incredibly difficult times these past two years, and that healing is still ongoing.”

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard will stage outside Kenosha in a standby status to respond if requested by local law enforcement agencies, WISN reported.

“We stand ready to support our communities during times of need,” Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, stated in the news release, adding, “In close coordination with the governor, we have assembled approximately 500 soldiers to help keep the Kenosha community safe, should a request from our local partners come in.”

Meanwhile, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department released a statement to WISN acknowledging that the agency is collaborating with all available resources but “has not yet officially requested the National Guard at this time.”

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