18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with five felony for offenses committed in August of 2020 at a protest in Kenosha, Wash. and was found not guilty on all charges on Nov. 19. Rittenhouse shot and killed two men and wounded another during a confrontation involving a semiautomatic riffle.

Rittenhouse pleaded self defense as his reason for firing.

Witness Julio Rosas described the altercation saying “two people jumped onto him and there was a struggle for control of his rifle. At that point during the struggle, he just began to fire multiple rounds, and that dispersed people near him.”

The two men killed were 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum and 26-year-old Anthony Huber. Gaige Grosskreutz, 27 was the man injured and it was revealed he had a gun in his hand when he approached Rittenhouse. Rittenhouse faced one count of reckless homicide, one count of intentional homicide and one count of attempted intentional homicide. He faced a life sentence if convicted on the most serious charge, intential homicide.

Rittenhouse claimed he was there to protect surrounding businesses, and was walking around holding a medical kit with an AR-15 slung over his shoulder. Lead prosecutor Thomas Binger sustained that Rittenhouse was the aggressor in the situation and overreacted to the circumstances. Prosecution claimed Rittenhouse incited the incident by pointing his gun at Rosenbaum.

“I think we can all agree, we shouldn’t have 17-year-olds running around with AR-15s, because this is what happens,” Binger said in his closing remarks.

Eighteen jurors sat through the trial for six weeks, and six were dismissed on Tuesday by a random drawing. The jurors deliberated for three full days before reaching a decision. The defense requested two mistrials with the potential to upend the verdict if Rittenhouse were convicted.

Conversations around bias within the case have begun, noting circumstances such Judge Bruce Schroeder’s refusal to let the men shot by Rittenhouse be referred to as “victims.” Some claim that this is common practice in Schroeder’s courtroom, while others suspect it may have influenced the jury.

Despite the fact that the men Rittenhouse killed were white, many link the case to racial injustice considering the circumstances of the altercation. Being that it took place at a protest for Jacob Blake, a Black man killed by police officers, many believe Rittenhouse was present for reasons other than protecting the surrounding business. Of those who have been following the case, some draw parallels between it and the ongoing trial for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was shot in February of 2020.

“I’m not really surprised from a legal basis,” Attorney Thomas Glasgow, a former prosecutor, said. “When you take all the politics out of this, this was an extremely difficult case for the prosecution.”

Jacob Blake’s family members called it “a sad day for justice in America,” but legal experts say the verdict did not come unexpected.