St. Louis Couple Who Pulled Guns On BLM Protesters Now Suing Photographer Who Took The Viral Images Of Them
The St. Louis husband and wife who were photographed pulling guns on a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters this summer have filed a lawsuit against the photographer who took the now-infamous images of them.
The New York Post reported that Mark and Patricia McCloskey, personal injury attorneys, filed a lawsuit against United Press International (UPI) photographer Bill Greenblatt for the images he took during the June 28 demonstration in their gated neighborhood. The pictures showed the husband holding an AR-15 style rifle while his wife held a semiautomatic handgun, both of them waving the weapons at people who were walking past their home.
The suit claims that the photographs contributed to “significant national recognition and infamy” for the McCloskeys, who claim that Greenblatt trespassed in order to snap the photos. The legal filing also claims that other defendants are making “t-shirts, masks, and other items, and licensing use of photographs bearing Plaintiffs’ likenesses, without obtaining Plaintiffs’ consent.”
The lawsuit had some harsh words for those allegedly profiting off the infamous photos.
“Defendants acted outrageously and beyond all reasonable bounds of decency, with their conduct regarded as atrocious and intolerable by any member of a civilized society,” the suit alleges.
The images captured national attention and sparked a debate over their actions. While many on the right defended the McCloskeys, claiming that they were defending their home and lives from the protesters, others said they were wrong in drawing weapons on a group of nonviolent protesters.
As The Inquisitr reported, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner announced that both the husband and wife were being charged with one felony count of exhibiting, saying that their actions could have led to tragedy.
“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 this city],” she said.
The pair maintained that they felt in danger of their lives, saying that they had been threatened by what they described as a mob.
The pair later spoke during the Republican National Convention regarding the incidences of violence that had taken place during some of the protests across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The lawsuit filed by the McCloskeys may not be the only legal matter regarding the pictures. As the New York Post reported, UPI was considering its own motion against the McCloskeys, ordering that they stop using the photos owned by the news service in their personal greeting cards.
