'Something Dangerous Was Going to Happen': Witness at Kyle Rittenhouse Trial Speaks About Encounter With Shooter
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A critical witness on the stand Thursday in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.
A man who recorded video when the teenager fired his gun talks about what he saw in the moments leading up to the gunfire.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar was in the courtroom for the crucial testimony where the witness was visibly upset having to re-watch his own video.
Richie McGinnis interviewed Kyle Rittenhouse and recorded him in the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of Joseph Rosenbaum. He works for an online publication
As Rittenhouse heads towards a used car lot with a fire extinguisher in one hand and an A-15 in the other, McGinnis runs right behind.
"It was clear to me it was a situation where it was likely that something dangerous was going to happen," McGinnis said.
About 14 minutes after the initial interview, it did. After a quick chase through that parking lot, McGinnis told the jury Rosenbaum lunged towards the barrel of Rittenhouse's gun. Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum four times. McGinnis was notably distraught in court having to re-watch the video.
The state argued that Rosenbaum was not a threat, armed only with a plastic bag and that he was already falling to the forward towards the ground when Rittenhouse fired those fatal shots.
"Whether it's the momentum falling, however you want to put it, Mr. Rosenbaum was in that motion," asked Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger. McGinnis answered yes. When asked if he saw a weapon on Mr. Rosenbaum, McGinnis said no.
But attorneys for Rittenhouse say the then 17-year-old fired in self defense, afraid that Rosenbaum may have taken control of the gun.
Before testimony got going on Thursday, a juror was kicked off the jury for making an off-color joke about the shooting of Jacob Blake to a deputy. There are now 19 jurors.