Daily Mail – by Mia de GraafAmmunition has been pulled from the shelves of two Walmarts in Ferguson amid violent clashes over the police shooting of Michael Brown.
Employees were ordered to lock all bullets in a store cupboard on Monday after demonstrators stormed one of the stores and formed a barricade outside another.
Bosses in Ferguson and nearby Maplewood revealed they took the precaution in fear of looting and violence as racial divides in the Missouri city show no sign of resolve.
It is the first time Walmart has taken such action since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, when assault rifles were removed from shelves in Connecticut.
Addressing Ferguson, Walmart spokesman Brian Nick told KMOV-TV: ‘If there is a history of violence and looting and other activity that are going on or things that are putting associates and customers at risk – then yes, decisions can be made based on those circumstances.’
Customers who wish to buy bullets will have to discuss their intended purchase with a sales assistant, he said.
The move came just days before a report was leaked revealing Darren Wilson told a grand jury he shot Brown because he feared for his life – a claim that has stoked renewed anger across Ferguson.
Protesters have taken to the streets every week calling for Wilson’s resignation.
On Monday, more than 43 people were arrested amid protests – many inside the Maplewood Walmart.
The protests were held in memory of John Crawford, a black man who was killed in an Ohio Walmart days before Brown’s shooting in Missouri.
Addressing Ferguson, Walmart spokesman Brian Nick told KMOV-TV: ‘If there is a history of violence and looting and other activity that are going on or things that are putting associates and customers at risk – then yes, decisions can be made based on those circumstances.’
Customers who wish to buy bullets will have to discuss their intended purchase with a sales assistant, he said.
The move came just days before a report was leaked revealing Darren Wilson told a grand jury he shot Brown because he feared for his life – a claim that has stoked renewed anger across Ferguson.
Protesters have taken to the streets every week calling for Wilson’s resignation.
On Monday, more than 43 people were arrested amid protests – many inside the Maplewood Walmart.
The protests were held in memory of John Crawford, a black man who was killed in an Ohio Walmart days before Brown’s shooting in Missouri.
One passer-by, Tiffany Mitchell, is certain Brown was leaning away but Wilson kept pulling him closer.
Another, Dorian Johnson, said Wilson grasped Brown’s throat and then pulled out his gun threatening to shoot.
They then heard shots fired from inside the SUV.
There remains no account from witnesses or police of the final four shots fired.
The police have maintained that the unarmed teen physically assaulted the officer and tried to get his gun.
One witness, whose name has been withheld, from St. Louis, Missouri, told the grand jury that the teenager did not have his hands above his head when Wilson shot at him, but rather ‘out to his sides.’
He also said Brown ‘staggered toward Wilson despite commands to stop’ and that ‘the two were about 20 to 25 feet apart when the last shots were fired.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2798260/ammunition-pulled-walmart-shelves-ferguson-amid-violent-clashes-police-shooting-michael-brown.html#ixzz3Gc5zuO00
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Not really a bad idea. Most civil citizens would (should) have some handy for self defense I suspect.