They were prosecution witnesses, but testimony offered Thursday in a Kenosha County courtroom actually helped the defense.
Witness Ryan Balch testified the first man shot by Kyle Rittenhouse was “hyper-aggressive” and violent, throwing rocks and trying to set fires.
Another witness told the court Joseph Rosenbaum was fatally wounded after he chased down the Illinois teenager and made a lunge for his gun.
Rittenhouse is on trial for shooting three men that night during violent protests, killing two.
Prosecutors accuse him of instigating the bloodshed, while his lawyers say he acted in self-defense.
