- The parents of Anthony Huber, who was fatally shot by
Kyle Rittenhouse , reacted to his acquittal Friday. - "There was no justice today for Anthony, or for Mr. Rittenhouse's other victims," the family said.
The parents of Anthony Huber, one of the men fatally shot by Kyle Rittenhouse during civil unrest in
"We are heartbroken and angry that Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in his criminal trial for the murder of our son Anthony Huber," the statement said. "There was no justice today for Anthony, or for Mr. Rittenhouse's other victims, Joseph Rosenbaum and Gaige Grosskreutz."
Rittenhouse, 18, was not charged with murder. He faced charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide for fatally shooting two men and injuring a third during protests in Kenosha in August 2020, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He was also charged with reckless endangerment of two additional men.
The teenager pleaded not guilty to five counts and testified that he acted in self-defense, saying the men were attacking him. He was acquitted on all counts.
Following the verdict, Huber's parents, in a statement obtained by WITI-TV
"We are so proud of him, and we love him so much," they said of their son. "He is a hero who sacrificed his own life to protect other innocent victims."
Rittenhouse testified that he shot Huber after Huber hit him twice with a skateboard and tried to take his gun away.
—Cassidy Williams (@CassidyWtv) November 19, 2021
Huber's parents said they chose not to attend Rittenhouse's trial because they "could not bear" to watch videos of their son being shot, and because they had been subjected to "many hurtful and nasty comments" over the past year. But the family did say they were following the trial closely, in hopes that it would provide some closure.
"That did not happen," they wrote, saying that today's verdict meant there was "no accountability."
The family called on "decent people" to join in demanding "more" of US laws, officials, and the legal system.
John Huber and Bloom added that their fight for justice on behalf of their son is not over.
"Neither Mr. Rittenhouse nor the Kenosha police who authorized this bloody rampage will escape justice," they said. "Anthony will have his day in court."
The parents are suing the Kenosha Police Department and the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department, alleging law enforcement allowed Rittenhouse to hurt innocent people following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Huber and Bloom filed the constitutional civil rights lawsuit in federal court in August.
"Kenosha police encouraged [Rittenhouse] to act violently and our son is dead as a result," the parents said.