St Louis couple who aimed guns at BLM protesters indicted on weapons charge

McCloskeys were initially charged in July

A St Louis couple who pointed their guns at protesters during a Black Lives Matter demonstration have been indicted on a weapons charge, their lawyer has said.

Al Watkins, an attorney for Mark McCloskey, 63, and Patricia McCloskey, 61, confirmed the indictment to the Associated Press. He said his clients had been served with an additional charge of tampering with evidence.

He could not confirm why the additional charge was added. A spokesperson for St Louis circuit attorney Kim Gardner did not immediately repsond to a request for comment.

The McCloskey's, a white couple, came to national attention in June this year when they were filmed waving firearms at a group of mostly black and unarmed protesters.

Amid a wave of demonstrations sweeping the US following the killing of George Floyd, the protesters had been heading towards the home of St Louis mayor Lyda Krewson to demand an end to police brutality and greater racial equality.

The McCloskey's, both personal injury lawyers, say the protesters broke down their gate and trespassed on private property.

Attorney Gardner, a Democrat, charged the couple with felony unlawful use of a weapon. She said the display of guns risked bloodshed at what she called an otherwise peaceful protest.

Following the incident, the McCloskey's have become heroes to some conservatives and spoke at this year's Republican National Convention (RNC) where they spoke about Americans' rights to bear arms.

They baselessly accused Democrats of “protecting criminals from honest citizens” and trying to “abolish the suburbs”.

In a pre-recorded address to the RNC, the couple also claimed that a vote for presidential candidate Joe Biden would result in lawlness across the US.

Nine people involved in the protest were charged with misdemeanor trespassing, but the city counselor’s office later dropped those charges. The city counselor’s office handles lesser crimes and is not affiliated with the circuit attorney’s office.

Mr McCloskey, after a brief court hearing earlier Tuesday, expressed anger that he and his wife faced criminal charges while those who trespassed on his property did not.

“Every single human being that was in front of my house was a criminal trespasser,” Mr McCloskey said. “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.”

Additional reporting by Associated Press