Never-before-seen FBI infrared aerial surveillance footage was shown in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial Wednesday and allowed jurors to see key moments that led up to the shooting.
The footage shows Rittenhouse, by himself, hastily walking down the sidewalk before Joseph Rosenbaum, wearing a mask, comes out of what defense has called a “hiding spot” between a cluster of cars. The cluster was located at a Car Source, where at least one vehicle had been set on fire that night.
Following an exchange, Rosenbaum chases Rittenhouse, even though other videos show the teen yelled at least three times that he was “friendly.” CNN reported:
Rittenhouse slows down in the video, and there appears to be some kind of exchange, but there is no audio of the moment.
Other videos from witnesses on the ground show that Rittenhouse could be heard yelling “friendly, friendly, friendly” at this point.
“And it does not dissuade Mr. Rosenbaum, correct?” [Rittenhouse attorney Mark] Richards said.
“Correct,” [Kenosha Police Det. Martin] Howard responded.
Rittenhouse continued to move in the same direction he was moving previously, and Rosenbaum starts to chase Rittenhouse. Videos taken of the scene from other witnesses show Rosenbaum threw a plastic bag at Rittenhouse but he was otherwise unarmed.
In the image below, Howard confirmed on the stand that “Person of Interest One” is Rosenbaum and “Person of Interest Two” is Rittenhouse.
Screenshot: Kenosha County Court Via FOX6 News Milwaukee
As noted by CNN, other videos have confirmed that a different person, identified as Joshua Ziminski by Howard, fired a gunshot in the air seconds before Rittenhouse fatally shot Rosenbaum, who was chasing him:
That initial shot was fired by Joshua Ziminski, Howard testified. Afterward, Rittenhouse fired four times at Rosenbaum. There were another three shots afterward, the videos show, but Howard said investigators still do not know who fired those.
“Ziminski, 36, has separately been charged with disorderly conduct using a dangerous weapon, arson and obstructing an officer, and he has pleaded not guilty, court records show,” CNN noted. “A criminal complaint says he admitted to firing a ‘warning shot’ in the air that night.”
A witness who testified Wednesday, social media influencer Koerri Washington, confirmed that he has seen videos of Rosenbaum hurling the N-word and yelling “shoot me” near a Kenosha gas station on the night of August 25, 2020.
Washington also told the jury he made a “mental note” of Rosenbaum due to his “erratic” behavior.
Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he was arrested for fatally shooting Rosenbaum and one other man, as well as injuring a third during unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He is charged with five felony counts and one misdemeanor, including first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
The teen pleaded not guilty in January, claiming he acted in self-defense.
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