Paper: Gun-Wielding Homeowners 'Almost Always in Conflict With Others'

Cops seize rifle pointed at BLM protesters by St. Louis homeowner Mark McCloskey: sources
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 11, 2020 8:30 AM CDT
Sources: Cops Seize Rifle Pointed at Protesters by Homeowner
In this June 28, 2020, file photo, armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front their house along Portland Place, confront protesters.   (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP File)

There's a new wrinkle in the case of the Missouri couple who stood outside their St. Louis mansion and pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters last month. KSDK reports a search warrant was executed Friday night by St. Louis police officers at the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, with sources saying the rifle Mark McCloskey was seen holding in the June 28 incident was seized. The couple reportedly informed the cops that the pistol Patricia McCloskey had wielded during the confrontation with protesters was in the possession of their attorney. The station, which notes it's not aware of any charges that were brought against the McCloskeys, also confirmed their lawyer, Al Watkins, has been replaced by Joel Schwartz, who verified a search warrant had been executed on his clients' home. He added, however, that he didn't know where the pistol was.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a new article on the McCloskeys that, based on interviews and public records, paint a picture of the couple that shows them "almost always in conflict with others," embroiled in multiple lawsuits, tenant evictions, and fights with Mark McCloskey's family over the years, among other disputes. In one 2013 incident, a local Jewish congregation had placed beehives outside of one of the walls of the McCloskeys' home so members could harvest honey. Mark McCloskey destroyed the hives, leaving a note behind claiming responsibility and demanding the congregation clean up the remains or he'd get a restraining order. "The children were crying in school," a congregation rabbi tells the paper. "It was part of our curriculum." Much more on the McCloskeys' squabbles here. (More St. Louis stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X