NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace says Kyle Rittenhouse, who was found not guilty Friday of murder for killing two people and wounded another at protests in Kenosha, Wis., last summer, would have gotten life in prison if he were Black.
Rittenhouse argued he was attacked by the protesters and was acting in self-defense when he shot the men with his AR-15, while prosecutors tried to frame Rittenhouse as the instigator in the shooting.
The protests were taking place over a police shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black. Rittenhouse faced five charges and was found not guilty on all of them.
“Ha, let the boy be black and it would’ve been life…hell he would’ve had his life taken before the bullshit trial.. sad,” Wallace said in a tweet shortly after the verdict.
Rittenhouse’s trial has divided the country, largely along partisan lines, with conservatives praising the jury’s decision and liberals condemning the decision.
“Today’s verdict means there is no accountability for the person who murdered our son. 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,” Karen Bloom and John Huber, the parents of Anthony Huber, who was killed by Rittenhouse, said in a statement.
“We hope that decent people will join us in forcefully rejecting that message and demanding more of our laws, our officials, and our justice system,” they added.
Concerns of violent protests erupting have swirled as people for and against Kyle Rittenhouse have been at a standoff outside the courtroom for days while the trial proceeded.
“I believe justice has been served in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. I hope everyone can accept the verdict, remain peaceful, and let the community of Kenosha heal and rebuild,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) tweeted Friday.