Judge Rules Men Shot by Kyle Rittenhouse Can’t be Called “Victims” During Trial, Calling Them “Rioters” and “Looters” is OK

The Judge presiding over the murder trial against Kyle Rittenhouse said that the three men he shot during a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin can be referred to as “rioters,” “looters,” or “arsonists” if his defense team has evidence to support the characterizations — but he ruled they shouldn’t be called “victims.”

Kenosha County Judge Bruce E. Schroeder set the ground rules for the trial that is expected to start Monday, November 1st.

18-year-old Rittenhouse is charged with homicide and attempted homicide for fatally shooting 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum, and 26-year-old Anthony Huber, and wounding 27-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz in Kenosha during protests after the shooting of a Black man by a white police officer.

Rittenhouse was 17 when he used a semiautomatic rifle that strongly resembles the military-grade AR-15. The teen said he went to the demonstrations on Aug. 25, 2020, to help protect businesses from looters and rioters when he was attacked and claimed that he acted in self-defense.

Judge Schroeder allegedly has a long-held policy against allowing the word “victim” to be used in his criminal trials until there is a conviction, claiming the word is “loaded” with prejudgment.