St. Louis Gun Couple Indicted on Weapons and Evidence Tampering Charges

The St. Louis couple who aimed their firearms at peaceful protesters over the summer has been indicted on weapons and evidence tampering charges. According to the Sun-Sentinel, on Tuesday a grand jury indicted Mark McCloskey, 63, and his wife, Patricia McCloskey, 61, both of whom are attorneys. The outlet noted that it is currently unclear where the evidence tampering charge comes from.

In June, a large group of racial injustice protesters were marching to the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson to protest her for endangering the lives of some protesters by reading their names and addresses in a public live stream. Krewson and the McCloskeys live in the same private subdivision, and when the march passed by their house, the McCloskeys came out branding weapons. As was evident in photos, Patricia McCloskey even had her finger on the trigger of her semiautomatic handgun as it was pointed at the protesters. The Sun-Sentinel reported that a probable cause statement from police indicated that protesters feared “being injured due to Patricia McCloskey’s finger being on the trigger, coupled with her excited demeanor.”

The McCloskeys have repeatedly defended themselves from critics who say that their behavior and weapons handing was inappropriate. Mark McCloskey previously stated that he retrieved his gun because he was “in imminent fear they would run me over, kill me.” While speaking to CNN’s Chris Cuomo, McCloskey added, “I was a person scared for my life, protecting my wife, my home, my hearth, my livelihood.”

He went on to say, “I was a victim of a mob that came through the gate.” Notably, the gate he referred to is one that led into the sub-division where The McCloskeys and Krewson live. It was reportedly unlocked and was the place where the protesters entered. Mark also said that it is “ridiculous” to brand him as an enemy of the Black Lives Matter movement, stating, “I didn’t care what color they were. I didn’t care what their motivation was. I was frightened. I was assaulted.”

In an interesting turn of events, in August the couple was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention. During their appearance, they continued to defend their actions by expressing fear for their safety. They also announced their support for Donald Trump in the current presidential election.