Kyle Rittenhouse said he’s “made it through the hard part,” in his first interview since he was acquitted of homicide and other charges in Wisconsin on Friday.
“The jury reached the correct verdict. Self defense is not illegal,” Rittenhouse, 18, said, smiling in the backseat of a car in a short clip that aired on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Friday night.
“I believe they came to the correct verdict and I’m glad that everything went well,” he continued. “It’s been a rough journey but we made it through it. We made it through the hard part.”
The clip was part of an exclusive interview with Carlson, more of which is expected to air on his Fox News program Monday night.
It came after a jury cleared Rittenhouse of homicide, attempted homicide and reckless endangerment in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, on Aug. 25, 2020.
He was 17 when he brought a semi-automatic rifle and a medical kit to Kenosha in what he said was an effort to protect businesses as riots broke out over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was left paralyzed from the waist down.
His attorneys had argued that Rittenhouse acted in self defense.
In the teaser, Rittenhouse claimed that he has nightmares “every single night” about what could have happened to him that night, and wakes up in a “cold sweat.”
“It’s scary actually because the dreams feel so real and they’re not the same at all, they’re all different — they’re the different scenarios that run through your head,” he said. “I’m alive but what could have happened? Like what if I wasn’t alive or what if I didn’t let Mr. Rosenbaum steal my gun?
“The outcome is bad but almost every outcome is me getting seriously injured or hurt or dead. Those are just the dreams I have on a daily basis.”
The high-profile case left Americans divided over whether Rittenhouse was a patriot taking a stand against lawlessness during the violence or just a dangerously reckless vigilante.
The jury deliberated for close to three and a half days before returning its unanimous verdict.
The teen’s lead lawyer, Mark Richards, said after the decision came in that Rittenhouse is looking to put the case behind him.
“He’s relieved, and he looks forward to getting on with his life. And having a jury of 12 people find him not guilty meant the world to him, in practical and symbolic ways,” Richards, said on the steps of the courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
“I don’t think he’ll continue to live in this area — it’s too dangerous,” Richards added. “He’s had 24-hour security since this happened.”
