Defense attorney: Rittenhouse feared for his life in Kenosha

By SCOTT BAUER, MICHAEL TARM and AMY FORLITI
Associated Press

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — Kyle Rittenhouse’s attorney said his client was ambushed by the first man he shot and killed during a night of turbulent street protests and feared for his life. Attorney Mark Richards began his closing arguments Monday at Rittenhouse’s murder trial by criticizing prosecutors’ contention that Rittenhouse provoked the  bloodshed on the streets of Kenosha by bringing a semi-automatic rifle to a protest and menacing others. Rittenhouse has argued he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed two men and wounded a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle in the summer of 2020. The 18-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, faces a mandatory life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, first-degree intentional homicide.