A grand jury in St. Louis, Missouri, filed charges earlier this week against the couple who pointed firearms at Black Lives Matter protesters. The couple, Mark and Patricia McCloskey are claiming they were only exercising their Second Amendment right to bear arms. The couple stated they felt threatened when the protesters marched near their home in a residential area.
Not only are the McCloskeys facing jail time, but the two could also lose their license as both are lawyers. In fact, Mark shared his frustration with the pending charges.
“Every single human being that was in front of my house was a criminal trespasser,” McCloskey stated. “They broke down our gate. They trespassed on our property. Not a single one of those people is now charged with anything. We’re charged with felonies that could cost us four years of our lives and our law licenses.”
The McCloskeys were caught on video last June pointing firearms at a group of protesters. The demonstrators were heading to the home of the city’s mayor, Lyda Krewson. They were demanding her resignation after she disclosed the personal information of individuals who wanted to withdraw funds from the Police Department.
Circuit prosecutor, Kimberly Gardner, filed charges against the McCloskeys in June for the illegal use of weapons. The charge she filed is a felony unlawful use of a weapon. Gardner’s argument is that by displaying the firearms, the McCloskeys could have caused bloodshed during a peaceful protest.
Along with these charges, the indictment made by a grand jury included the crime of tampering with evidence. However, at this moment, it is unclear why that charge is there, according to the McCloskeys’ attorney, Al Watkins.
Back in June, a viral video captured the McCloskeys holding an AR-15 rifle and a semiautomatic handgun. The St. Louis couple continues to argue the only thing they wanted was to defend their property. According to the McCloskeys, the Black Lives Matter protesters had allegedly trespassed, leading to them getting their weapons.
After the incident, nine demonstrators were charged with a misdemeanor of trespassing. However, the charges were eventually dropped by the city counselor’s office.
