The Kyle Rittenhouse shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin happened on the night of August 25, 2020.

Quick timeline

  • August 23, 2020: Police shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, leading to days of protests and unrest.
  • August 25, 2020: During those protests, 17‑year‑old Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people, killing two and injuring one.
  • November 2021: Rittenhouse went to trial and was found not guilty on all major charges after arguing self‑defense.

Why it became a big topic

  • The shootings happened during Black Lives Matter–related protests after the Jacob Blake incident, so they were quickly pulled into national debates about race, policing, and armed civilians.
  • Commentators and politicians on the right and left framed Rittenhouse very differently, from “vigilante” to “defender,” which made the case a long‑running culture‑war flashpoint.

In forum and social media discussions, people still argue over whether what happened was justified self‑defense or reckless vigilantism, which is why “when did Kyle Rittenhouse happen” is still a recognizable reference to August 25, 2020 and the surrounding trial and media storm.

TL;DR: The Kyle Rittenhouse shootings “happened” on August 25, 2020, during the Kenosha protests, with the high‑profile trial and verdict unfolding in November 2021.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.