And tonight Kyle Rittenhouse, the kid who brought an ar15 to a protest as one does apparently is no longer a defendant in a case that became a Flash Point Over Gun Rights and vigilantism and selfdefense in our country. After 3 1 2 days of deliberations a jury in kenosha, wisconsin, found 18yearold rittenhouse not guilty of fatally shooting two men, injuring another during that protest with Police Conduct back in august of 2020. That unrest erupted after the Police Shooting of Black Kenosha Resident jacob blake. During the trial rittenhouse took the stand testified he was target the and attacked in the midst of those protests and fired his ar15 in selfdefense. Late today the family of anthony huber, one of the two men killed by rittenhouse issued this reaction to todays verdict, quote, it sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street. The president was also a
Free this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening. With the country awaiting a verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, in Georgia Another closely watched case took center stage today as the man who shot Ahmaud Arbery made a Surprise Appearance on the Witness Stand Testifying in his own defense. Travis mcmichael and his father and a neighbor are on trial accused of Cornering Arbery with their vehicles as he jogged down the street, confronting and killing him. The case with its strong racial overtones focussing on why the men who were white were suspicious of arbery who was black. Mcmichael claiming on the witness stand, he had my gun he struck me the prosecution contends the men had no reason to stop arbery that day. Ron allen is covering the trial for us and has the latest. I want to give my side of the story. I want to explain what happened. Reporter stunning the courtroom, travis mcmichael, the man accused of firing a fatal Shotgun Blast that killed Ahmaud Arbery taking the
The charlottesville case and the death of mr. arbery in georgia and those cases are both going well and i m hoping they symbolize something for people that the justice system is improving over time and that it is something that, you know, everybody can unite behind and be proud of. so, courtney, it s a lot. we ve kind of established here tonight our country is broken. we know our congress is broken and with that as the backdrop answer me this, how does the president s bill get through the u.s. senate to his desk for signature? well, i think that s still an open question. you know, big celebrations for the president and democrats today, but, you know, you have to remember this is the first step of a very lengthy legislative process. this version of the bill will not be the final version and probably will change considerably for a couple of reasons, one, they need all 50