Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced Tuesday that he pardoned the St. Louis couple who pointed their guns at protesters from a Black Lives Matter rally in June 2020.
The couple eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanors after being indicted in October 2020. Mark McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor of fourth-degree assault and was fined $250 while his wife, Patricia McCloskey, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000. They also agreed to surrender the weapons they used during the confrontation.
Parson shared in October 2020 that he “most certainly would” pardon the couple if they were convicted.
The couple, who are both lawyers, said they felt threatened when a group of BLM protesters passed their home on a private street in St. Louis, Missouri, and retrieved their firearms from their home, proceeding to wave them at the protestors. Mark had an AR-15-style rifle and Patricia held a semiautomatic pistol.
No shots were fired, though the incident, caught through numerous videos, went viral on the internet. The couple claimed that they were practicing their right to bear arms and were protected a Missouri law that allows the use of deadly force against intruders.
After a June 2021 hearing, Mark McCloskey said, “I’d do it again. Any time the mob approaches me, I’ll do what I can to put them in imminent threat of physical injury because that’s what kept them from destroying my house and my family.”
Mark McCloskey also announced his candidacy for Senate in May, 2021, using his convicted actions as part of his campaign by calling himself a “proven fighter.”
“An angry mob marched to destroy my home and kill my family,” he wrote on Twitter. “I took a stand to defend them. I am a proven fighter against the mob. When the mob comes to destroy our home, our state, our nation— I’ll defend it. I will NEVER BACK DOWN.”