DailyMail: Ammunition 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.
Demonstrations are expected to escalate today after the news that a grand jury has heard an account of the shooting that shines a favorable light on the police officer.
In it, Wilson claims he was sat in his SUV on patrol when the teenager leaned through the window, punching and scratching his face. He insists he feared for his life, which prompted him to shoot twice from inside the car. However, he does not acknowledge subsequently shooting Brown four times outside the vehicle.
A number of witnesses agree that Brown and Wilson were embroiled in a physical fight through the car window, but few had an accurate vantage point to see what was happening.
They insist, however, the teenager was trying to flee and holding up his hands.
DCG
