St. Louis couple who pointed guns at protesters plead not guilty to felony charges

The St. Louis, Mo., couple who waved guns at Black Lives Matter protesters marching on their street pleaded not guilty to two felony charges on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. 

Mark and Patricia McCloskey were indicted on Oct. 6 for unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with evidence. They are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 28. 

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner issued felony charges against the couple in July for unlawful use of a weapon. The grand jury on Tuesday added the charge of tampering with evidence.

In now-viral videos posted in June, the couple can be seen standing outside their homes, each holding a firearm as protesters demonstrating for racial justice walked by. The protesters were en route to the home of Mayor Lyda Krewson (D), and were calling for her resignation after she read aloud activists’ personal information on a livestream. 

After the footage circulated, the couple told local CBS affiliate KMOV that they pulled out their guns for self defense, saying they were afraid for their lives. 

Missouri Gov. Michael Parson (R) has defended the couple, and said last Wednesday that he “most certainly would” issue a pardon for the couple should they be convicted on charges that arose from the incident.  

“We’ll let it play out and see how this all comes out in the courts, but I stand by what I said,” Parsons said.

President Trump has also defended the couple, arguing they were “going to be beat up badly if they were lucky.” 

The McCloskeys were invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in August, with Patricia McCloskey claiming that a win for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in November would “bring crime, lawlessness and low-quality apartments into now-thriving suburban neighborhoods.”

“What you saw happen to us could just as easily happen to any of you who are watching from quiet neighborhoods around our country,” Patricia McCloskey also warned during the address.