LeBron James calls out Kyle Rittenhouse for crying at trial: ‘Man knock it off’
Rittenhouse, an Illinois teenager, fatally shot two people during a protest in Wisconsin last year.
LeBron James weighed in on the apparent crocodile tears that Kyle Rittenhouse shed during his murder trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Lakers star retweeted the clip by USA TODAY captioned: “Kyle Rittenhouse broke down in tears at his murder trial while on the witness stand as he described the events of Aug. 25, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.”
James responded to the clip with, “What tears????? I didn’t see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some Lemonheads before walking into court,” adding “crying laughing” emojis.
One Twitter user reacted to Rittenhouse’s performance with, “There was no tears, just bad acting. Do better reporting.”
Another commented, “He may be a lousy actor, but the judge’s decision to force the trial to recess propelled his acting career and may sway some jurors to settle down for a mistrial.”
A third added, “Without any actual tears and while looking around to see if the jury was buying it. Why no “tears” in the smiling pics he took with fans while flashing a white power sign right after the murders. Didn’t seem to be “traumatized then.”
Another Twitter user noted, “He brought an assault rifle to a protest he was against. He didn’t need to be there with a weapon of violence. Therefore he had every opportunity to not be there but he went so he’s guilty of murder. Case closed.”
Several people slammed James’ tweet, with many claiming Rittenhouse was clearly exhibiting signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“Do people really not know what PTSD looks like? No way this is acting. The KID was there trying to help and the situation turned into life or death and he chose life,” wrote one user.
Rittenhouse, an Illinois teenager, fatally shot two people during a Jacob Blake protest in Wisconsin last year. The protests started after Blake, an unarmed Black man, was shot in the back by a Kenosha, Wis. police officer. Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down.
Rittenhouse traveled across state lines, armed with what is described as a “long gun,” purportedly to help support law enforcement and protect public property during the protests. Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, Anthony Huber, 26, were killed and Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, was wounded after the teenager shot the three men with an AR-style semiautomatic rifle. Rittenhouse was later charged with first-degree murder.
Conservatives across the country have rallied around Rittenhouse, raising $2 million to cover his bail. Black Lives Matter supporters painted him as a trigger-happy racist.
Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to the charges. His legal team claims he shot Rosenbaum and Huber in self-defense as they were trying to disarm him, and will stress “Grosskreutz subsequently coming at him” holding a pistol according to Associated Press. Witnesses allege that Rittenhouse was stalking the city and threatening people with his weapon.
Some believe the judge overseeing the murder trial appears to be setting the stage for Rittenhouse to walk free.
Hon. Bruce Schroeder ruled last month that prosecutors can’t argue that Rittenhouse is affiliated with the alt-right group the Proud Boys or that he physically assaulted a woman months before the shootings. Prosecutors are also prohibited from referring to the three people that the teenager shot as “victims.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
