How Kyle Rittenhouse Video Released by Lin Wood Argues Kenosha Shooter Acted in Self-Defense

Kyle Rittenhouse's lawyer claims a newly released video will help "refute the lies" being told about his 17-year-old client accused of murdering two people in Kenosha last month.

The video entitled "Kyle Rittenhouse—The Truth in 11 Minutes" was published by an organization raising funds for the suspect's legal defense at the direction of his attorney, Lin Wood.

The video is not being used in the criminal case against the teenager, but instead aims to argue how he was in fear for his life when he shot and killed Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum and injured one other man on August 25.

The video, which has already been viewed more than 550,000 times on YouTube, paints Rittenhouse as someone who was merely trying to protect local businesses and the community during the protests, noting that he was seen cleaning graffiti off Kenosha's courthouse walls prior to the shootings.

The edited footage also portrays each of Rittenhouse's alleged victims in a negative light, including displaying their previous criminal records when their names are flashed on screen.

In a statement to Newsweek, Wood said: "The video was created to tell the American public the truth and to refute the lies about Kyle. The video was also intended to warn all who love freedom that we just be prepared to defend ourselves and our Constitution.

"There is a socialist-planned revolution underway in America to change our form of government. Freedom-loving Americans must be prepared to fight back."

The footage has already been discussed by prominent right-wing figures including Fox News' Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, arguing if the 17-year-old was acting in self-defense on the night in question and if he should be facing murder charges.

"Every decade or so, a legal matter arises that holds the power to negatively affect our lives for generations to come," a narrator says near the start of the 11-minute video. "Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you identify with, this is about you."

The clip continues by showing the violence, fires and vandalism which erupted in Kenosha during the protests against the police shooting of Black man Jacob Blake.

While noting that people from both sides were armed during the protests, the video describes how "Good Samaritans" came together to "prevent the total destruction of their communities"—including 17-year-old Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse is recorded on camera saying, "Our job is to protect this business. Part of my job is to help people. If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way.

"That's why I have my rifle, because I need to protect myself obviously, but I also have my med kit."

Rittenhouse is also seen telling those who are injured to come towards him because he has a medical kit on him.

The video then shows protesters setting fire to a dumpster and pushing it towards the gas station being protected by a group of armed men and militia members, which included Rittenhouse.

The video claims Rosenbaum was the one who started the dumpster fire. He is seen engaging in an argument at the gas station, including yelling out "shoot me [n-word]" at one of the armed men.

The video notes how one of the men Rosenbaum is yelling at was wearing a green T-shirt similar to how Rittenhouse was dressed that night.

Rittenhouse is then seen trying to extinguish another fire which had allegedly been started by Rosenbaum.

The clip showing Rosenbaum and several other protesters chasing Rittenhouse away from the gas station is then shown.

One protester, identified as Alexander Blaine, can be seen firing a gunshot, although it is unclear if it is towards anyone or up in the air. The clip states how Blaine is a suspected gang member as well as an "amateur porn actor."

Rittenhouse turns after hearing the gunshot being fired, and Rosenbaum lunges towards the 17-year-old. Rittenhouse then apparently fires at least four times, hitting Rosenbaum who later died from his injuries.

In the video, three more shots are fired although it is not known where these came from.

The video says that it "remains unclear" if all of Rosenbaum's gunshot wounds were from Rittenhouse's gun as there were a total of eight shots fired during the chase.

Rittenhouse then flees the scene, making a cellphone call and telling somebody, "I just shot somebody, I had to shoot him."

The narrator asks if Rittenhouse was justified in fearing for his life, while playing other examples of violence that have broken out at protests across the country.

Rittenhouse is then recorded running away from a crowd of angry protesters down a Kenosha street after shooting Rosenbaum.

Cellphone footage shows one man yelling, "Cranium that boy, he just shot a man!"

The video states that "cranium" is street slang, and is a call for someone to shoot him in the head.

After being struck in the head by one protester, Rittenhouse trips and falls to the ground. One man is then seen attempting to leap on Rittenhouse, who then fires twice in the air.

Huber then hits Rittenhouse with a skateboard while attempting to reach for his rifle. Rittenhouse fires twice, shooting Huber in the chest and another man, Gaige Grosskreutz, who was carrying a handgun, in the arm.

The video once again appears to suggest Rittenhouse's life was in danger based on a statement that a friend of Grosskreutz posted on Facebook.

After visiting Grosskreutz in hospital, Jacob Marshall allegedly wrote: "I just talked to Gaige Grosskreutz too. His only regret was not killing the kid and hesitating to pull the gun before emptying the entire mag into him. Coward."

Rittenhouse is also praised for his "remarkable judgment" for not firing at a fourth protester who raised his arms "in surrender" after Huber and Grosskreutz were shot.

The suspect then flees with his hands in the air towards a number of police vehicles down the street. The video states "in the confusion" he was not identified as the shooter, and ordered to move away. Rittenhouse surrendered to police the following day.

"A 17-year-old American citizen is being sacrificed by politicians. But it's not Kyle Rittenhouse they're after. Their end game is to strip away the constitutional rights of all citizens to defend our communities, our personal property, our lives, and the lives of our loved ones," the video concludes.

Attorney Jason Flores-Williams, who specializes in self-defense, argues that the 17-year-old's alleged actions before the shooting, including crossing state lines with a gun he was not legally allowed to possess and infiltrating himself with right-wing militia groups once in Kenosha, suggests intent.

Flores-Williams said that attending a protest dressed in military style gear and armed with a rifle is a form of intimidation and therefore makes him the "initial aggressor" in the shootings.

"He put himself out through the Kenosha Guard as some sort of extension of law enforcement," Flores-Williams told Newsweek.

"But ask yourself this, did law enforcement shoot anybody? Why did it end up being the 17-year-old kid who ended up killing two people?

"It's an insane belief that people who are acting this way—provoking, intimidating, breaking the law—are no longer responsible for when the logical thing happens."

Rittenhouse remains in custody after being charged with first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.

He is also charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by someone under the age of 18.