The Michael Brown verdict has yet to be handed down by a Missouri grand jury, but already passions are inflamed and one militant group is placing a bounty on the head of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.
Wilson shot and killed Brown, an unarmed black teen, during a struggle on August 9. Though some witnesses claimed that Brown was standing with his hands up when he was shot, others came forward to say that he was in fact attacking officer Wilson at the time. Forensic evidence reportedly backed up this account of the events.
While the grand jury has yet to announced the Michael Brown verdict, one extremist group seems to have already declared Darren Wilson guilty. A group calling itself RbG Black Rebels posted on Twitter what appeared to be a bounty on Wilson’s head , offering to pay cash for information about his whereabouts.
“We are paying $5k cash for location of Ofc. Darren Wilson. Real $, no joke, no crime we just wana get his photo an ask him a few questions,” the group claimed.
Though RbG Black Rebels said that it was not a bounty on Darren Wilson, a series of increasingly violent tweets about stockpiling ammunition and hoarding guns indicated otherwise.
Police in Ferguson and across Missouri are taking no chances ahead of the Michael Brown verdict . Governor Jay Nixon has already declared a State of Emergency, making the National Guard available in case riots occur.
Law enforcement sources said they believe that the jury will not return an indictment against Darren Wilson, and have tried to leak that information to prepare protesters and soften the blow of the news.
While officials are expecting the grand jury to announce its ruling any day, the Michael Brown verdict can be returned anytime over the next several weeks. The grand jury actually has until January to release its decision. Some believe the announcement will be strategically made at a time when police can prepare for protesters and local schools will not be disrupted.