Demonstrators were marching to the home of then-Mayor Lyda Krewson amid nationwide protests after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. The protesters ventured onto a private street that includes the McCloskey mansion.
The couple, both of them attorneys in their early 60s, said they felt threatened after protesters broke down an iron gate and ignored a "No Trespassing" sign. Protest leaders denied damaging the gate and said the march was peaceful.
Mark McCloskey came out of his home with an AR-15-style rifle and Patricia McCloskey emerged with a semiautomatic handgun. Cellphone video captured the confrontation.
Armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey in front their mansion as they confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house on June 28, 2020.