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Rittenhouse trial: Witness Gaige Grosskreutz confirms he 'raised gun first' at Kyle

'Trial over,' says social media users after Gaige Grosskreutz confirmed he first raised his gun, which led Rittenhouse to shoot him in Kenosha

KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: Social media users believe the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse is all but over, after an admission of guilt by one of his shooting victims on November 8. Taking to the stand, the prosecution's witness Gaige Grosskreutz agreed that Rittenhouse had only shot him because he raised his gun first, with the moment quickly being captured and going viral on the internet. While the net celebrated the moment, Rittenhouse opted for a calmer reaction, video from the trial shows.

The controversial teenager is on trial for the shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and Grosskreutz during the Kenosha protests in 2020. Support for Rittenhouse has been strong, with people even selling merchandise to help him fund his legal fight. He's also been widely criticized after he was caught wearing a 'Free as f--k' shirt after being released on bail. In many ways, Rittenhouse has become the poster boy for America's divisive politics, which has only gotten more fire since his trial.

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Given the high-profile nature of the trial, Judge Bruce Schroeder has ruled it will be live-streamed on TV for its entire duration, which is expected to last at least two weeks. Over the past few days, the prosecution has been calling up witnesses to testify about the events of the day. Some of those who have testified so far include Kenosha police detective Ben Antaramian, the lead detective in the case, and officer Jason Krueger, whose squad car Rittenhouse approached shortly after the shooting.

Footage lands Grosskreutz in trouble

Also taking to the stand was Grosskreutz, who Rittenhouse shot in the arm. The original criminal complaint says Grosskreutz approached Rittenhouse with his hands in the air, but video footage shows that Grosskreutz had a gun in his hand. That evidence is what landed Grosskreutz in trouble on November 8. During cross-examination, the defense asked, "It wasn't until you pointed your gun at (Rittenhouse)...that he fired." To that, he replied, "Correct".

He later clarified that while he had his gun in his hand, he did not intentionally point it at Rittenhouse, but acknowledged that he felt there was "imminent danger". But the damage appears to have been done, at least in part. The moment Grosskreutz acknowledged the presence of his gun was widely shared on social media in a matter of minutes. One of the prosecutors can also be seen doing a facepalm in response. 

There's still a week to go in the trial, and plenty of other witnesses to be called forward, so by no means is this the end of the trial. Grosskreutz's confirmation only serves to indicate Rittenhouse may not be guilty of shooting him, but the same cannot be said for the deaths of Rosenbaum and Huber. Nonetheless, many took to social media to celebrate as if Grosskreutz's statement proved he was innocent. 

'Trial should be over'

Conservative commentator Benny Johnson tweeted, "This is it. One of the Antifa scumbags who attacked Kyle Rittenhouse just admitted that Kyle didn’t shoot until after he had a gun pointed at him. Trial over." One lawyer commented, "I've never seen ANYTHING like the cross-examination of Gaige Grosskreutz His testimony has completely supported Rittenhouse's claims of self-defense The only person Grosskreutz has incriminated is himself." One user tweeted, "Rittenhouse trial should be over immediately."

Journalist Tim Pool retweeted that and said, "case closed Rittenhouse self defense admitted by one of his attackers." Megyn Kelly also weighed in, tweeting, "Huge, huge moment at Rittenhouse trial. You don’t get many moments like this as a trial attny." Another person added, "Rittenhouse is not guilty as a matter of law, it’s not up for debate, and I can’t wait for him to sue CNN and other fake news outlets!"

When asked if he was chasing Rittenhouse before being shot, Grosskreutz denied the allegation and said he was "concerned" for the teenager's safety. Footage from the days shows Grosskreutz approach Rittenhouse, gun in hand, after the teenager shot Rosenbaum and Huber. Rittenhouse shot him in the arm in response, leading Grosskreutz to spend a week in the hospital, and requiring multiple surgeries as well as months of physical therapy.