St Louis couple charged with waving guns against Black Lives Matter protesters

A GRAND JURY has indicted the St. Louis couple who displayed firearms as hundreds of racial injustice protesters marched on their private street.

Al Watkins, the couple’s attorney, confirmed the accusations against Mark McCloskey (63) and his wife, Patricia McCloskey (61).

A spokeswoman for Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner declined to comment.

The McCloskeys, who are both lawyers, have become popular heroes with some conservatives. They argue that they were simply exercising their Second Amendment right to bear arms and that they were protected by the Missouri Castle Doctrine Act allowing the use of deadly force against trespassers.

The case has drawn the attention of President Donald Trump, and Missouri Republican Governor Mike Parson has said he will pardon the couple if they are convicted.

The McCloskeys were also featured speakers on the first night of the Republican National Convention. They have accused the “left” Democratic leaders of St. Louis of their plight.

But Gardner, a Democrat, charged the couple with a felony for illegal use of a weapon. He said the weapons display risked bloodshed in what he called a peaceful protest.

Watkins said that in addition to the weapons charge, the grand jury indictment includes a tampering with evidence. It was unclear what led to that additional count, he said.

The McCloskeys maintain that the protest was not peaceful. They say the protesters reached the private street after breaking down an iron gate and ignoring a “No Trespassing” sign, and said they felt threatened.

The incident occurred on June 28 as protesters were walking toward Mayor Lyda Krewson’s home, a few blocks away.

Suddenly they decided to veer onto McCloskeys Street, prompting the confrontation that was recorded on the phone video. It showed Mark McCloskey in front of his house armed with an AR-15 rifle and Patricia McCloskey with a semiautomatic pistol.

A probable cause statement from police said the protesters feared “being hurt due to Patricia McCloskey’s finger on the trigger, along with her excited demeanor.”

Nine people involved in the protest were charged with breaking and entering, but the city councilor’s office later dropped the charges.

The city counselor’s office handles misdemeanors and is not affiliated with the circuit attorney’s office.

Mark McCloskey, after a brief court hearing last week, expressed his anger that he and his wife faced criminal charges, while those who trespassed on their property did not.