Rittenhouse judge dismisses underage weapons charge in murder trial

The judge presiding over Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial in Kenosha, Wis., on Monday dismissed one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18.

The misdemeanor charge, which carries a penalty of up to nine months in jail, was considered among the counts for which Rittenhouse was most likely to be convicted.

Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he carried an AR-style semiautomatic rifle on the streets of Kenosha during a turbulent protest against racial injustice in the summer of 2020, and used it to kill two people and injure another.