VERDICT WATCH: Rittenhouse Jury Begins Deliberations, National Guard Braces for Unrest

A just in Wisconsin will begin deliberations Tuesday to determine the fate of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of shooting people during a 2020 protest in Kenosha, two fatally.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people at an August 2020 demonstration protesting the officer-involved shooting of Jacob Blake,  Joesph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, died as a result of the shooting and a third man was injured.

The defendant is facing five counts, including first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, and attempted first-degree intentional homicide. As CrimeOnline previously reported, on Monday the judge dropped a sixth count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18, after the defense argued that the weapon Rittenhouse was carrying was legally permissable due to hunting laws.

Rittenhouse’s defense team have claimed he was acting in self-defense, while prosecutors have said Rittenhouse provoked the violence by pointing a weapon at the protesters.

“That is what provokes this entire incident,” prosecutor Thomas Binger said during closing statements Monday, according to CNN. “When the defendant provokes this incident, he loses the right to self-defense. You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create.”

As ABC 7 reports, the Wisconsin National Guard is on standby in the event of protests once the verdict is read.

The jury begins deliberating at 9 a.m. Tuesday. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.

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[Feature image: Kyle Rittenhouse listens to defense attorney John Pierce during an extradition hearing in Lake County court Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in Waukegan, Ill. Rittenhouse is accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wis. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, Pool)]