A video of Kyle Rittenhouse sobbing on the witness stand was viewed more than 2.3 million times online since the accused shooter of three men took the stand to testify in his own defense.
The 18-year-old defendant hyperventilated and broke down as he recalled the moments leading up to the shooting death of victim Joseph Rosenbaum during the Kenosha unrest.
Attorney Mark Richards, taking pity of Rittenhouse’s emotional state, uttered “Take a deep breath, Kyle.”
Judge Bruce Schroeder ordered a 10-minute break to allow the teen a chance to collect himself before resuming testimony.
“I intended to stop the people who were attacking me,” Rittenhouse said. “I did what I had to do to stop the person who was attacking me. I didn’t know it was going to kill them, but I used force to stop the threat.”
