Judge tosses misdemeanor gun charge in Rittenhouse trial

A judge tossed out a misdemeanor gun charge against Kyle Rittenhouse just before jury deliberations were set to begin.

District Court Judge Bruce Schroeder accepted a defense motion to dismiss one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 just before closing arguments were expected to begin.

Schroeder said he dismissed the charge because the length of the rifle Rittenhouse carried the night he killed two demonstrators showed he had not violated the law, which he also said was poorly written.

Rittenhouse's lawyers have tried throughout the trial to get misdemeanor charges dismissed.

The 18-year-old Rittenhouse faces first-degree reckless homicide and other charges in the Aug. 25, 2020, fatal shootings of 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum and 26-year-old Anthony Huber, and he also shot and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, now 27, during unrest in Kenosha.