Kyle Rittenhouse found not guilty on all charges in Kenosha shootings

SOURCE: BBC- A US teenager who shot dead two men during racial justice protests has been cleared of homicide and all other counts after claiming self-defence.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, killed the men and wounded a third on the streets of Kenosha, Wisconsin, on 25 August 2020.

During the high profile and politically divisive trial, his defence said he had feared for his life. Prosecutors argued he was looking for trouble that night.

National Guard troops have been sent to the city amid fears of unrest.

Mr Rittenhouse faced five charges, including intentional homicide, which carries a mandatory life sentence.

His fate was decided by a 12-person jury composed of seven women and five men. They reached their verdict after more than three days of deliberations.

Mr Rittenhouse sobbed and was held by his lawyers as the verdict was announced.

Two nights before Mr Rittenhouse turned up in Kenosha, riots erupted on its streets after police shot Jacob Blake, a black man.

Mr Rittenhouse had travelled to the city from his home in Illinois and, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, he said he sought to help protect property from unrest.