Michael Brown Shooting: Gun Sales in Ferguson, Missouri Skyrocket in Anticipation of Grand Jury Decision on Officer Darren Wilson
Tension and fear continue to rise as the nation awaits the grand jury decision on whether or not police officer Darren Wilson will be indicted in the shooting death of Michael Brown.
Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager, was shot and killed by the white cop in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9. Several eye witnesses testify that the 18-year-old was shot execution style while he was surrendering with his hands in the air. However, officer Wilson stated that Brown was the aggressor and that he reached for his weapon.
Although the grand jury has until January to decide whether to indict or not to indict Wilson, the ruling could be issued sometime this month. As a result, community members and business owners, who fear that the decision will spark violent protests and looting if Wilson is not indicted, are preparing for the worst.
This is evident by the spike in gun sales in Ferguson and surrounding areas, which has increased by 50 percent in recent weeks.
"So maybe I get trapped here or something and have to have a John Wayne shootout," Dan McMullen, the owner of an insurance agency located where Brown was shot to death, said according to CNN. "That's the silly part about it: Is that going to happen? Not a chance. But I guess, could it? I'm the only white person here."
According to Steven King, the owner of Metro Shooting Supplies, gun sales at his shop jumped from 30 to about 100 over the weekend because of the fear about what's to come.
"A lot of black people [are] coming in, saying they are afraid of the hooliganism," King said according to CNN. "But not all of Ferguson is hooliganism. The media portrays us that way. If the world can just see this is one little street in Ferguson going crazy, they'd understand that we're not just one big burning city."
Locals also expressed their fears Monday night at a Ferguson city council meeting. According to Fox 2 Now St. Louis, schools and business owners are currently preparing plans to handle reaction to the decision.
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