MILWAUKEE— With the eyes of the nation on Kenosha, Wednesday, Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand in his ongoing criminal trial.

"I think it was important for the defense to put him on the stand to humanize him," "I think it was important for the defense to put him on the stand to humanize him," John Gross, a clinical associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School and director of the Public Defender Project said. "The prosecution is obviously describing him as a vigilante who came to Kenosha looking for trouble, looking to get his name out there in the public sphere by doing something controversial, and by putting on the stand it's not a surprise what he's saying. I think the important part of the defense is to show he is an 18-year-old teenager."

While Rittenhouse did his best to try and explain why he opened fire that night, Gross added that his guilt or acquittal could all come down to whether or not the jury determines any perceived use of self-defense was reasonable under the circumstances.

"You have to have a reasonable belief that you yourself are going to be subjected to serious physical injury or death," Gross said. "You would have to have that initial belief, but in addition to that, your use of deadly force under the circumstances— under all of the circumstances in the case— needs to be reasonable, so jurors can ask, 'Was it reasonable to use that force as opposed to withdrawing from the situation or backing away?'"

You can watch the entire interview above.