McCloskeys sued for pointing guns at protestor in 2020

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - A local woman is suing Mark and Patricia McCloskey citing “anxiety” and “depression” stemming from an incident in which the McCloskeys pointed guns at protestors in 2020.

The McCloskeys pleaded guilty to misdemeanors for the incident, images of which quickly went viral. Governor Mike Parson later pardoned them. Mark McCloskey ran and lost in the Republican primary for Senate in 2022.

KMOV has chosen not to name the woman, as she says she is suffering from additional anxiety at the news going public.

However, in the suit, she says she was peacefully protesting on June 28, 2020 when she turned onto Portland Place in St. Louis, where the McCloskeys live.

She says she saw Patricia McCloskey with “her finger on the trigger, pointing the gun at me.” The woman says she has suffered due to the “negligent behavior” of the McCloskeys, saying each used “their weapons to instill fear.” She says they used the images from that day to “capitalize off my pain and suffering.”

She says she has had to seek treatment for PTSD and is seeking 20 million dollars in damages.

In addition to the federal suit, she is asking a court to appoint an attorney.

“I have called over 80 lawyers to take on my case,” she wrote. “They have all opted out because the defendants are lawyers. I was told that they did not want to ‘get involved,’ but I have a good case. I found two lawyers that wanted to take the case on, but their firm told them not to.”

The McCloskeys have not yet responded to the suit in court. Reached by phone, Mark McCloskey told us: “To the extent she was there, then she was trespassing, had no right to be there and we had every right in the world to defend themselves against a mob that was very threatening.”

He said they planned to vigorously defend themselves against the lawsuit and would plan to countersue.

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