A nearly all-white Wisconsin jury on Friday found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges in the killing of two men and the shooting of another during a Kenosha protest in 2020.

Rittenhouse, 18, faced charges of reckless, intentional and attempted homicide for his actions the night of Aug. 25, 2020, during protests over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white police officer.

The Illinois teenager, who also faced two counts of recklessly endangering safety, was carrying a small medical kit and an AR-15-style rifle the night of the shooting.

His lawyers claimed he acted in self-defense when he killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26. He also severely wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, an armed paramedic who was treating protestors that night, CNBC noted.

“I brought the gun for my protection,” Rittenhouse testified. “I didn’t think I would have to use the gun and end up defending myself.”

However, prosecutor Thomas Binger argued during closing statements on Monday that Rittenhouse enjoyed the “thrill of going around and telling people what to do, without the courage or the honor to back it up and without the legal authority to do so.”

“You cannot claim self-defense against a danger you create,” Binger told jurors, adding that Rittenhouse had “brought a gun to a fistfight.”

The jury reached their “not guilty” verdict on the fourth day of the closely watched deliberations and Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges.

Following the reading of his verdict, Rittenhouse broke down in tears and collapsed in his seat. He then hugged one of his lawyers, who told the shaking teenager to “breathe,” The New York Post reported.

Gov. Tony Evers sent 500 Wisconsin National Guard troops to Kenosha to be on standby as of Tuesday pending the jury’s verdict. Protesters, some seen with megaphones, have gathered outside the Kenosha County Courthouse.

The trial, which has generated national attention, is trending on Twitter with people responding to the jury’s verdict.

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