Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager who shot and killed two men and wounded another as violent protests against police brutality swept through Kenosha last year, was acquitted of all charges Friday in a closely watched case that has amplified national debate over vigilantism and law and order.

       As the verdict was read for each count, the 18-year-old quivered, sobbed and — on the fifth and final “not guilty” — fell to his knees.

       He faced charges including intentional homicide and reckless endangerment for the August 2020 shootings.

       It took the jurors — seven women, five men — three days to reach their decision inside a downtown Kenosha courthouse, a capstone to a two-week-long trial that reignited the charged politics of the Trump era.

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       Kyle Rittenhouse puts his hand over his face after he is found not guilty on all counts at the Kenosha County Courthouse.

       (SEAN KRAJACIC / The Kenosha News)

       Kyle Rittenhouse’s mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, reacts as her son is found not guilt on all counts at the Kenosha County Courthouse.

       (SEAN KRAJACIC/The Kenosha News)

       Judge Bruce Schroeder speaks to issues on jury instruction during Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse.

       (SEAN KRAJACIC/The Kenosha News)

       Kyle Rittenhouse walks along Sheridan Road in Kenosha, Wis., in this Aug. 25, 2020 photo. Before midnight, he used his Smith & Wesson AR-style semi-automatic to shoot three people, killing two.

       (Adam Rogan/The Journal Times )

       Kyle Rittenhouse with gun, as a man shot in the chest lies on the ground on August 25th in Kenosha Wisconsin. Clashes between protesters and armed civilians continued during the third day of protests over the shooting of a black man Jacob Blake.

       (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

       From left, Kariann Swart, Joseph Rosenbaum’s fiancee, Susan Hughes, Anthony Huber’s great aunt, and Hannah Gittings, Anthony Huber’s girlfriend, listen as Kyle Rittenhouse is found not guilty on all counts at the Kenosha County Courthouse in Kenosha, Wis. Rosenbaum was one of two people shot and killed by Rittenhouse.

       (SEAN KRAJACIC / The Kenosha News)

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       A woman recites poetry outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Kenosha, Wis.

       (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

       Protesters argue outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Kenosha, Wis.

       (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

       Bishop Tavis Grant consoles Hannah Gittings, girlfriend of Anthony Huber, who was fatally shot by Kyle Rittenhouse, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, in Kenosha, Wis.

       (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

       Erick Jordan walks down a street with his rifle offering protection near a news conference Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 in Kenosha, Wis.

       (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

       Brandon Lesco, a supporter of Kyle Rittenhouse, holds a sign that says “Free Kyle” outside of the Kenosha County Courthouse hours after learning that Rittenhouse was acquitted of all charges on November 19, 2021 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

       (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

       A Woman prays on the front steps of the Kenosha County Courthouse moments before Kyle Rittenhouse’s not-guilty verdict in Kenosha, Wisconsin on November 19, 2021.

       (ALEX KENT / AFP )