During day five of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, a “star witness” for the prosecution admitted that Rittenhouse only shot at him after he advanced on the teen and pointed his gun at him.
In the moments following the stunning admission from Gaige Grosskreutz, the prosecution team looks visibly deflated, with prosecutor James Kraus even collapsing his face into his hand. Here’s a still of the moment (also see video, below):
Screenshot: Rekieta Law via YouTube
Rekieta Law, a verified legal YouTube account with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, posted video reacting to the trial, live. Following the stunning moment, three legal commentators bust into yells and sighs of disbelief.
“How do you not acquit after that?” one of the commentators said.
“He [Kyle] just exhaled — he looks like he’s gonna cry,” another said, referring to Rittenhouse’s seeming look of relief following the exchange.
It’s also heard said, “This is their [prosecution’s] star witness, and they are just picking him apart, like crows feasting on the dead.”
The Daily Wire reported on the exchange, Monday:
Rittenhouse shot Gaige Grosskreutz, then 26 at the time, during a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020. Grosskreutz, then armed with a pistol, had approached Rittenhouse moments after the teen had been attacked by two others and was laying on the ground. Grosskreutz pointed his weapon at Rittenhouse before the teen, who was armed with a rifle, turned his firearm on Grosskreutz, firing and hitting the older man’s arm.
Under questioning from Rittenhouse defense attorney Corey Chirafisi, Grosskreutz testified that Rittenhouse fired on him after Grosskreutz had pointed his pistol at Rittenhouse. Chirafisi began the line of questioning with a still image from a video showing the moment Rittenhouse shot Grosskreutz, showing Grosskreutz’s arm being “vaporized,” as the witness said.
“It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun pointed at him, that he fired, right?”
Witness who was shot by Rittenhouse:
“Correct”
pic.twitter.com/guEO6sle59— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) November 8, 2021
Here’s the partial transcript:
Corey Chirafisi: Now, you’d agree your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse. Correct?
Gaige Grosskreutz: Yes.
CC: Okay. And once your firearm is pointed at Mr. Rittenhouse, that’s when he fires his gun. Yes?
GG: No.
CC: Sir, look, I don’t want to – does this look like right now your arm is being shot?
GG: That looks like my bicep being vaporized, yes.
CC: Okay. And it’s being vaporized as you’re pointing your gun directly at him. Yes?
GG: Yes.
CC: Okay. So when you were standing 3-5 feet from him with your arms up in the air, he never fired. Right?
GG: Correct.
CC: It wasn’t until you pointed your gun at him, advanced on him with your gun — now your hands down — pointed at him that he fired. Right?
GG: Correct.
WATCH (relevant comments begin at the 3:21:00-mark):
Related: ‘I Was Wrong’: Young Turks’ Kasparian Admits She Bought Into False Rittenhouse Narrative
Related: Rittenhouse Trial: Never-Before-Seen FBI Video Shows Key Moments Before Shooting