Prosecutors said Kyle Rittenhouse, the man accused of fatally shooting two men and injuring a third during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer, instigated the confrontations that led to the shootings.

On Tuesday (Nov. 2), Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger told the jury during his opening statement that Rittenhouse was “drawn” to the chaos in Kenosha. “One of things we all agreed on yesterday is life is more important than property,” Binger said. “Like moths to a flame, tourists from outside of our community were drawn to the chaos here in Kenosha. People from outside of Kenosha came in and contributed to that chaos and it caused many of our citizens to fear for their safety.”

He continued, “But out of the hundreds of people that came to Kenosha during that week, the hundreds of people that were out on the streets that week, the evidence will show that the only person that killed anyone was the defendant, Kyle Rittenhouse.”

However, defense lawyer Mark Richards told the jurors Tuesday that his client acted in self-defense the night he fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. “He acted in self-defense, ladies and gentlemen,” he said. “The evidence will show his actions on Aug. 25 of 2020 were reasonable under the circumstances as they existed.”

Rittenhouse is facing multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree homicide, attempted homicide, reckless endangerment, curfew violation and possessing a firearm as a minor. Last summer, he shot and killed Huber and Rosenbaum during protests in Kenosha after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, several times in the back. Rittenhouse also shot Gaige Grosskreutz in the arm, but he survived.

His trial is expected to last two to three weeks. If he is convicted of the most serious charges, Rittenhouse could face life in prison.