KENOSHA, Wis. — The judge at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial has dismissed a count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.
The charge is only a misdemeanor, but it had appeared to be among the likeliest to net a conviction for prosecutors.
There’s no dispute that Rittenhouse was 17 when he carried an AR-style semi-automatic rifle on the streets of Kenosha in August 2020 and used it to kill two men and wound a third.
But the defense argued that Wisconsin’s statute had an exception that could be read to clear Rittenhouse.
That exception involves whether or not a rifle or shotgun is short-barreled.
Judge Bruce Schroeder dismissed the charge after prosecutors conceded in court Monday that Rittenhouse’s rifle was not short-barreled.
