CHICAGO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- It is growing tense in Ferguson, Missouri, pending the decision of a grand jury over whether to charge the officer responsible for the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old black man Michael Brown.
Shops are boarding up their storefronts and residents are preparing for the worst as authorities, including Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said the National Guard would be ready to step in if necessary.
Gun sales rose a little less than 300 percent, according to CNN, which interviewed a local business owner who said that customers bought 100 guns a weekend last month, while a typical weekend brings in about 30 buyers.
On Thursday morning, Brown family's lawyer called for calm and restraint from both police officers and protesters.
This appeal comes in the wake of multiple leaks to the New York Times and Washington Post potentially hinting at the grand jury leaning away from indicting police officer Darren Wilson, who fatally shot the unarmed Brown.
Another leak revealed that an independent pathologist spoke before the grand jury on Thursday, which legal experts say points to the possibility that jurors are reaching the end of their witness list.
Local officials and protesters alike have reacted to the recent leaks with dismay. Protesters are holding "direct action" trainings in Ferguson, while St. Louis police has purchased 100,000 U.S. dollars in riot gear ahead of the protests, according to the Associated Press.
Brown's parents flew to the United Nations headquarters in Geneva to testify before the UN Committee Against Torture, and to express concern that the American judicial system resisted prosecuting officer Darren Wilson.
The family said the predominantly white police had mistreated black racial minorities in the Ferguson community for some time now.
NBC News reported on Thursday that U.S. officials will respond to the UN committee's questions.
Protests of the Michael Brown shooting began on the evening of Aug. 10, one day after the shooting, and a new wave of radical unrest swept the area last month following another black teenager Vonderrit Myers Jr was killed by an off-duty white police officer, the third fatal incident of a black man by Missouri police in recent months.
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