Kyle Rittenhouse: Joseph Rosenbaum Threatened to Kill Me Before Ambushing Me

KENOSHA, Wisc. — Kyle Rittenhouse opted to testify as part of his own defense on Wednesday as the high-profile trial he's at the center of continued in court. 

Rittenhouse explained he was working at a recreation center in Kenosha County when the riots broke out after Jacob Blake, who was armed with a knife, was shot by a Kenosha police officer when he ignored police orders and tried to enter a vehicle while his two children were in the backseat.

Rittenhouse explained he and his friend, Dominick Black, went to downtown Kenosha after the first set of riots to look at the damage and see if they could help in any way. They joined a group to help clean graffiti off of buildings for about an hour and a half. They later encountered the owners of the car dealership and said they could help protect the remaining property.

On the night of the shooting, Rittenhouse said Joseph Rosenbaum threatened him two times prior to the shooting. As Rittenhouse explained, during the first encounter, Rosenbaum said he was going to kill him while he was armed with a chain. During the second encounter, Rosenbaum said the N-word while saying he was going to rip Rittenhouse's heart out.