A US couple who were filmed pointing guns at Black Lives Matter protestors have been formally charged with a felony.
Mark and Patricia McCloskey went viral after they were pictured brandishing handguns and assault rifles as demonstrators passed by their house in St Louis, Missouri, on June 28.
The protestors were on their way to the Mayor’s residence when they passed by the property.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, has announced the pair have now been charged with a felony for brandishing their weapons at the protestors.
Gardner said that following "thorough investigation" it had been determined that the McCloskeys' actions risked violence during what had been a nonviolent march.
The couple each face one charge of unlawful use of a weapon
"It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner at those participating in nonviolent protest, and while we are fortunate this situation did not escalate into deadly force, this type of conduct is unacceptable in St. Louis," Gardner said in a statement.
Gardner said she does not plan to seek jail time for the married pair.
Despite the announcement, the McCloskeys are unlikely to face any reprimand with Missouri governor Mike Parson going on the record as saying he would pardon them if they were charged.
Parson previously defended their actions during an interview on Fox News.
"If you had a mob coming toward us, whether they tore down a gate or not, when they come on your property, they don’t have a right to do that in an aggressive manner," he told Sean Hannity.
President Donald Trump has also expressed support for the McCloskeys, branding the effort to charge them with a crime "a disgrace."
"They were going to be beat up badly, if they were lucky. OK? If they were lucky," Trump said in an interview with Townhall Media.
A couple has come out of their house and is pointing guns at protesters in their neighborhood #StLouis #lydakrewson pic.twitter.com/ZJ8a553PAU
— Daniel Shular (@xshularx) June 29, 2020
"They were going to be beat up badly and the house was going to be totally ransacked, and probably burned down, like they tried to burn down churches. And these people were standing there, never used it, and they were legal, the weapons.
"And now I understand somebody local they want to prosecute these people. It's a disgrace"
