WSPN-12 news reported on Thursday (Nov. 4) that a jury in the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse was discharged for making a joke about the police killing of Jacob Blake.
On Tuesday (Nov. 3), the jury’s eldest white member made the insensitive remark to one of the court’s deputy judges, who informed the judge the next day. According to the story, the juror asked the deputy, “Why did John Blake get shot seven times by the Kenosha cops?”. After the deputy interjected, it was clear the juror would not continue.
According to Thomas Binger, the joke’s punchline was ‘Because they ran out of guns.’ Consequently, Binger asked that the juror be discharged because the joke showed bias against African-Americans.
WISN reported that Schroeder concluded that the joke had nothing to do with the case, but was made out of ill judgement. A guy admitted to having attempted to deliver a joke on Thursday morning and was ejected from the jury, according to Schroeder.
Rittenhouse’s jury selection began on Monday (Nov. 1) and ended on Wednesday (Nov. 3). It is expected that the trial will last two to three weeks after opening statements begin on Tuesday morning. The jury pool now stands at 19 jurors.
During a protest against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year sparked by Blake’s shooting, Rittenhouse killed two people and injured one during an anti-police brutality protest.
As reported by The New York Times, she faces charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree reckless endangerment of safety, intentional first-degree homicide, attempted intentional first-degree homicide, as well as possession of weapon by a minor; the latter being the only offense.
In his previous plea, Rittenhouse claimed self-defense in pleading not guilty to all charges. If convicted of the most serious charges, he may spend the rest of his life in prison.
