After fatal shooting of Iowa police officers, local stores report shortage of one specific item

Less than a week after two police officers were killed, ambush-style, in an early morning shooting near Des Moines, Iowa, there is no shortage of community support for the fallen officers and their families.

What is running low, however, is the blue ribbon many are using to show their solidarity as the area seeks to heal from its loss.

"It's heartbreaking," Nicole Wychulis, a store manager at Michael's craft store, told the Des Moines Register. "But it's great to see the community pull together."

Wychulis' store was just one of many that reported a dramatic spike in blue ribbon and fabric sales after 24-year-old Urbandale Police Officer Justin Moore and 38-year-old Des Moines Police Sgt. Anthony Bemino were gunned down, each in their respective police cruisers, just 2 miles apart.

In the days after the tragic shooting, local residents adorned trees and mailboxes with blue ribbon. School teachers scoured stores in search of the material so their students could honor those in blue.

But that, as many quickly discovered, was a task easier said than done.

"We found all the ribbon we could," high school teacher Andy Sutton said.

Stephanie Brennan, who is also an educator, had a similar story. “It’s something we can do to show support,” she told the Des Moines Register.

Police on Thursday arrested 46-year-old Scott Michael Greene after he turned himself in for allegedly ambushing both officers. If found guilty, Greene could face life in prison with no chance of parole, Reuters reported.