President Joe Biden has spoken out about Kyle Rittenhouse being found not guilty on all counts, saying that he is 'angry and concerned', but that the public must accept the verdict.
Rittenhouse, 18, was charged with killing two men and wounding a third with an assault-style rifle in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August last year.
The incident unfolded during a night of protests which were fighting against racial injustice after a black man called Jacob Blake was shot by a white Kenosha police officer.
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Following the trial that lasted three weeks, the teenager was acquitted of first-degree intentional homicide and four other charges on Friday night (19 November).
In a statement published on the White House website, the US President said the verdict 'will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included' but that the public 'must acknowledge that the jury has spoken'.
The statement continues: "I ran on a promise to bring Americans together, because I believe that what unites us is far greater than what divides us.
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"I know that we're not going to heal our country's wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity, under the law.
"I urge everyone to express their views peacefully, consistent with the rule of law. Violence and destruction of property have no place in our democracy.
"The White House and Federal authorities have been in contact with Governor Evers's office to prepare for any outcome in this case, and I have spoken with the Governor this afternoon and offered support and any assistance needed to ensure public safety."
Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, had travelled to Kenosha from his home in Illinois after the protests broke out.
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The teen took an AR-style semi-automatic rifle with him - which, according to his lawyers, he feared would be taken away and used against him.
As he gave evidence in court, he broke down crying as he told the jury how, in the moments leading up to him killing 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum, he was threatened twice by the man.
Rittenhouse recalled: "He screamed, 'If I catch any of you f** alone, I'm going to f** kill you'. The second time he said 'I'm going to cut your f** hearts out and kill you N-words'."
In his opening statement, prosecutor Thomas Binger described the unrest as 'two of the roughest nights that our community has ever seen', and said outsiders were drawn to Kenosha 'like moths to a flame'.
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Yet Binger repeatedly stressed that amid the hundreds of people in Kenosha, and the anger and chaos in the streets, 'the only person who killed anyone is the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse'.
Rittenhouse claimed he went to the city to protect property after two nights of rioting.
His lawyer, Mark Richards, also told the jury that his client acted in self-defence as one of the men dove for his gun while others kicked him in the face and clubbed him in the head with a skateboard.
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During the trial, the jurors were shown drone footage of the fatal shooting, where Rosenbaum could be seen being shot at close range.
The video showed Rosenbaum following Rittenhouse, before the teenager suddenly spun around and fired his rifle at him.
Rittenhouse then killed Anthony Huber, a 26-year-old protester seen hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard in a video filmed by a bystander.
The teen shooter then went on to wound Gaige Grosskreutz, a protester and volunteer medic who has since testified against Rittenhouse.
Words: Daisy Phillipson
Topics: Court Case, joe biden, US, Kyle Rittenhouse