So I read that Missouri castle doctrine begins at the edge of the property, and they could have shot somebody that entered their yard, and used that defense. Obviously they said they feared for their lives so as to check that box.
"Anders Walker, a constitutional law professor at St. Louis University, said Monday that it was 'very dangerous' for the McCloskeys to engage with protesters by brandishing guns, but Missouri’s Castle Doctrine allows them to defend their property on Portland Place, a private street.
'At any point that you enter the property, they can then, in Missouri, use deadly force to get you off the lawn,' Walker said, calling the state’s Castle Doctrine a 'force field' that 'indemnifies you, and you can even pull the trigger in Missouri.'”
I've also read that there are conflicting reports about breaking the gate. Not sure if a jury would want to believe all those self-defense arguments and instead vote guilty on some kind charge. Why didn't they stay inside the house? They felt the need to protect the landscaping? I thought a lawyer was trained to talk to a group of strangers and change their minds. But imagine if they had instead engaged the protesters in some meaningful way, or like maybe even brought out lemonade and cookies? Instead it's, Honey, grab your gun, we're going outside. People have guns and are brandishing them at peaceful, albeit angry, mobs, without really suffering an immediate threat, or perhaps after starting the escalation themselves. She was ready to shoot that pistol? Really? He was ready to shoot that rifle into a crowd? There are dangerous gun owners like there are awful drivers. And the pièce de résistance is this. Their lawyer:
“My clients, as melanin-deficient human beings, are completely respectful of the message Black Lives Matter needs to get out, especially to whites,” said lawyer Albert Watkins. He said the McCloskeys “acted lawfully” out of “fear and apprehension, the genesis of which was not race-related.”
My melanin deficient clients? Really?
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... 28585.html