Kyle Rittenhouse trial: Trump supporter shoves BLM protester amid clashes outside Kenosha court
Heated protests erupted outside the Kenosha County court as the Rittenhouse jury began deliberations on Tuesday
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A Donald Trump supporter was filmed shoving a Black man amid heated protests outside the Wisconsin court where a jury is deciding the fate of Kyle Rittenhouse.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Tuesday as the jury was sent out to deliberate on five felony charges against Mr Rittenhouse.
As the day wore on, supporters of the defendant and Black Lives Matter (BLM) broke out into opposing chants while one man from the former group used a bull horn to heckle the latter.
The man, who was wearing a hat with a cartoon of Mr Trump as the “Punisher”, got into a physical confrontation with a BLM supporter.
Video recorded by journalist Sergio Olmos shows the man yelling: “Get your a** back. Get your Black a** back.”
Other protesters are heard shouting in the background before one person moved in to break up the fight by pulling the BLM supporter away.
Several members of law enforcement clad in riot gear sought to quell the tensions outside the courthouse.
The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department has said it is closely monitoring the trial in preparation for unrest over the verdict.
Mr Rittenhouse is facing charges for shooting three men - two fatally - during protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake on 25 August 2020.
Mr Blake’s uncle, Justin Blake, was among the BLM protesters outside the court on Tuesday.
Also present was Wisconsin State Senator Robert W Wirch, who told Mr Olmos he believes there should be “some kind of punishment for shooting people”.