Via Facebook
Chad Oulson and his wife Nicole in a photo from Facebook.
Moviegoers tried desperately to save a Florida father after he was shot in the chest during a dispute over texting before a screening of "Lone Survivor," 911 calls released Friday showed.
"Come on, buddy, breathe! Breathe!" one caller can be heard urging mortally wounded Chad Oulson.
Oulson, 43, a Navy veteran, was killed Jan. 13 during an argument with retired police captain Curtis Reeves, 71, at the Cobb Grove 16 in Wesley Chapel, Fla.
Police say Reeves was annoyed that Oulson was texting his daughter. Angry words were exchanged, and Oulson threw popcorn at Reeves, who pulled out a .380 semiautomatic and fired a single shot, police say.
Reeves, who is charged with second-degree murder, was defending himself, his lawyer said.
The 911 tapes reveal that others in the theater, including a nurse, labored to keep Oulson alive until paramedics could get there, performing chest compressions while police operators grilled them about the shooter.
A nurse, who witnessed the shooting of a man at the Cobb theaters in Tampa, Fla., speaks with emergency dispatchers while helping to tend to the victim.
"I'm just trying to make sure this guy stays with us," one caller said.
"This guy's pulse is weak," he said later. "We need an ambulance, stat."
A dispatcher asked where the gunman was.
"In the theater still," the caller replied. "He's right behind me."
A female who got on the line made it clear Oulson's life was ebbing away while they waited for paramedics."
"Where are they?" she demanded.
"They're on the way," the dispatcher told her.
A chronology of the incident provided by the county said paramedics got to the scene in under four minutes and went inside three minutes later, after sheriff's deputies cleared the scene.
Oulson, who had a 3-year-old daughter and was on a date with his wife, Nicole, was pronounced dead at the hospital. Nicole Oulson was shot in the hand.
At a press conference earlier this week, she said her grief was "unbearable."
"In the blink of an eye, my life got shattered into a million pieces and now I'm left trying to pick them up and put them back together," she said.
This is such a sad situation. A senseless tragedy.
This man was out of control and should have never shot him, I know we all get mad at the movies when people are talking and using they're phones, but c'mon. He has anger issues that's for sure.
My heart goes out to his wife and family.
Afternoon to you Sky : )))
Of particular note since the stories on this keep leaving it out and shows how out of control this 71 yo former cop was, the movie had not even started yet. Yes, I can't stand it when someone is being rude during the movie, but to actually think you have any ground to stand on for pulling a weapon on a guy over this altercation it's ridiculous.
The two cops who beat an unarmed homeless man to death - both acquitted.
The cops that shot the white surfer looking for the black rouge cop - acquitted.
The North Carolina cop that shot an unarmed man 10 times as he was following orders going to the ground - Grand Jury won't bring charges.
And this is just the past 3 weeks in America.
Mr. Reeves is going to get acquitted. He's white, old, ex-SWAT, ex-Police Captain, and the crime happened in Florida. The odds of a conviction are under 10%. He's going to say that after the popcorn was thrown in his face, he saw Mr. Oulson "reaching for something". Acquittal.
The shooter asked politely for the texter to stop.
The texter didn't.
The shooter went to the management to report the texter. When he returned the texter verbally abused the shooter for "tattling" on him.
The texter then stood up, turned around and threw something at the shooter while continuing further verbal abuse.
The texter's wife then tried to restrain the texter from physically confronting the shooter. She and the texter got shot.
Oulson was not shot for texting, he was shot for being an abusive, belligerent a-hole to a 71 year old guy.
He did not deserve to be shot, I give you that, but he is not innocent in this incident.
Both bullies will pay, one way or another. The only innocent here is the child. Even the wife had to know of her husband's temper and machismo. I'm sure she found it chivalrous...until that night.
I have a friend who is a Lawyer, and she told me once that Lawyers were basically actors. I can believe that, because Reeves' Lawyer said his client was defending himself. You have to be an actor to keep a straight face with some of the defenses some Lawyers mount for their client.
Actually, she told me that around the time of the Twinkie defense here in the Bay Area back in the 70's. So yeah, I buy that they can be actors. lol
Bob, that's funny you speak of the texter's machismo. Now tell me, and I'll remind you, this all went down BEFORE THE MOVIE EVEN BEGAN, you tell me who is exhibiting machismo. The pig thinking he gets to tell the world what to do or the guy who figures some a-hole should really mind his own business when he wasn't being a harm to anyone and was simply texting his babysitter? The only real FACT here, and I'm a CWP holder myself, is that this pig never should have had his weapon in the theater because they weren't allowed there and he should have never even un-holstered it. And yes, I'm calling him a pig for a reason because his actions speak volumes about the kind of law enforcement he was and there is getting to be far too much of it.
"The only way to stop a rude 'texter' with popcorn, is a good guy with a gun."
We have lost our way.
I don't give a crap what anyone says. Mr. texter could have pulled up every chair in the movie theater and thrown it at Mr. old worthless piece of $hit with a gun, and that still would not have made it right to shoot this guy in the chest. What's sad is that cops are trained to aim for the heart. They absolutely never shoot to disarm. This old douche could have shot him in the arm, the leg, the stomach, or any other place that could have resulted in a non-lethal shot, but no... just like a worthless piece of $hit cop, he decided to shoot the guy in the chest. Shoot someone in the leg, and they aren't getting up to come at you again.
Robert in Oregon has it right. Apparently the only way to stop a rude texter who threw popcorn and used feeling hurting verbal insults, is with a gun. Yeah... that sounds sarcastically right.
Great post Bob 2112-
There used to be a thing called the Golden Rule, sounds to me this dude was lucky he live this long.
So what did you get busted for STFU? Selling a little weed did ya? Powders?
the victim threw popcorn at him who knows what he would do next ...did what i would do defend myself , maybe next time the younger man will think twice before trying to be a bad ass ..now he's a dead ass..
Bob you put it best. I've been trying to say the very same thing.
Pssst...cuppa...when you are in fear for your life do you shoot a rabid dog in the leg? Your statements tell me you are about 19, maybe as old as 22 but you have zero grasp of reality.
"Defending himself" From a deadly popcorn attack? Crazy old man.
anybody gona throw a bag of popcorn in my face is gona get a paper cup of soda in his.
It is very sad. I understand that texting or being on your phone during the movie is annoying. However, I think the man who died was sitting behind the shooter. So I don't understand how that would of bothered him. Even if they were seated elsewhere, it's the previews...it's not like it was the actual movie playing or that Mr. Oulson was having a full on conversation on his phone. This was just a grumpy old man with a very, very short temper.
both were a-holes. both were at fault. both should have walked away.
at stonepipe. If popcorn makes you fear for your life then you have no right to carry a loaded gun into a theater. Your statements tell me that you are a pussy.
he was defending himself?! REALLY!! From what... POPCORN both the shooter and scum bag lawyer should share a cell
Just an observation here but did anyone else find it rather disturbing that the 911 operator transferred the call to the Sheriffs Dept. which resulted in a constantly ringing, unanswered phone? During the entire time that citizens can be heard in the background administering CPR, the phone on the Sheriffs Dept. end is just ringing and ringing and ringing. Not saying that an unanswered transferred call would have saved the gentlemans life but one would like to think that these things would be addressed in a timely manner considering the circumstances.
Yeah, but the victim had anger issues as well; being confrontational with an older person and then throwing something at him because the guy reported you for doing something you weren't supposed to be doing in the first place. Does he deserve to get shot and killed for that? Of course not. But it's just hard and heartbreaking lesson that you have to restrain yourself from escalating a situation with strangers, because sooner or later you're going to run into the wrong person. It's just not worth it.
YOU GOT TO TEXT THAT BAD.......get up and be polite and take it outside to the freaking lobby.
Problem.....no one gives a crap about others and how things they do can be a burden to others.
Also to others above.....cops are not trained to injure in threatening situation, trained to take out. No one can determine what was perceived as a threat or to what extent this was out of control......I have yet to see and article describing exactly the situation, the amount of violence or the total picture reported. All we get are bits and pieces. Where is his wife's statement, where is the cop in the theaters statement (the one that took down the old man) or anyone else for that matter??
Yeah the ex-cop shot, did he see a gun or other weapon in close combat, did he fear his life.........sorry we cant answer these so we really shouldn't make judgments until all this comes forward.
a terrible useless UN called for tragedy, from a old man, who in all probability;he has serious mental problems, his wife can visit him in jail until one of them dies, over the next 25 years.
You seem to forget who was out of control to begin with... Sadly the texter handled the situation completely wrong to begin with, and kept aggravating the situation onward. "Bob got it right."
KILLERTWINKIE please just kill yourself already before you go off and shoot up a school
"A chronology of the incident provided by the county said paramedics got to the scene in under four minutes and went inside three minutes later, after sheriff's deputies cleared the scene."
Y didn't the deputies clear the scene in the 4 minutes that they were waiting 4 the paramedics?
That's what happens when you bring popcorn to a gunfight? I'm sure that the article is missing lots of important details as most articles do, but it sounds like the retired police captain overreacted by a lot.
So DAVID, if someone throws popcorn at you your going to shoot them? and WTF is wrong with texting before the damn movie even started??? SWEET BABY JESUS!
People like you are the perfect argument for evolution, your just thousands of years behind the rest of us... Crawl back into that shallow gene pool you drug yourself out of NEANDERTHAL
Bob212, Look at what you said, and tell me after you have studied your comments if any of them made sense!! NOT!!!
I don't even know why I bother - the misinformed here seldom get the facts even if spoon fed. But anyway, here we go:
(Note that all these "facts" are based on current reports. It is possible they could change as reports continue)
Important fact 1: The texting in question was occurring BEFORE the movie started. The man was texting his babysitter to check on on his daughter.
Important fact 2: The shooter accosted the man for texting and apparently would not "let it go" even after being told the reason - this is according to witnesses.
Important fact 3: There was a verbal confrontation that escalated. The texter, at some point, threw popcorn at the shooter in reaction to the interaction started by the shooter.
Important fact 4: The man throwing the popcorn was shot and killed.
That's it.
So, anyway - it would seem the texting instead of calling was actually a polite way to communicate before the movie started - minimum intrusion on surrounding moviegoers. Why in the world the shooter felt the need to confront the texter over this is beyond me.
AmericanDefender9, post#1.18, I agree with you about the 911 dispatcher. Over the years I've heard a lot of 911 calls replayed after the fact, and sometimes listening to them(dispatchers) is irritating as hell. The dispatcher here asked at least one question the answer to should have had no bearing whatsoever. He asked if the victim was male? What difference does it make, in this case, if the victim was male? I understand their job is to gather as many facts about what had happened as possible and not to be a shoulder for someone to cry on, but this guy sounded as cold and mechanical as I've ever heard.
From the initial accounts, it seems that the old man was belligerent first. I'll wait and see how it shakes out in court. Unlike the Zimmerman/Martin thing, there were witnesses so this won't be a he said/she said fiasco. There are even reports that at least one other person has had problems with the old man before. Like I said, there were eye witnesses so we will eventually know the truth. I really think that "stand your ground" won't work here. I predict a conviction on whatever charge they go to court with, manslaughter or murder two. We shall see.
Elvoid understands.
The only people who enter law enforcement are control freaks who only care about the fact that they are control freaks. If you think this jackass cares about a single thing other than the fact that he "controlled" that situation, he "controlled" the victim's entire future by removing it, you're sadly mistaken. It just happens that pigs can always say "oooh but I helped somebody this one time so I protect and serve" but really they "protect and serve" their own desire to lord themselves over others and then get away with violence and other criminal behavior that is often more disturbing than the acts of actual "criminals".
To say you're a pig to me is the same as saying you're a child molester or an elected official. Just scum plain and simple, not even worthy of being a stain on my boot.
Got that right Bob-2112! This is a win-win!!
THank you Bob-2112 for having the best response to this.. the 'victim' was an obnoxious bully, he didnt deserve to die but he provoked the situation..
While I feel sorry for this widow and her daughter I have a couple of questions. Number one-why was he texting his 3 year old? Once he was politely asked to stop, why didn't he go outside to continue if it was so important instead of continuing to annoy a fellow, elderly patron? Why did he feel it necessary to throw popcorn at an elderly man for speaking to management about a rude patron? Is the Navy in the habit of training people to be ignorant and disrespectful these days? This was a 43 year old Navy vet. He was belligerent, rude and hostile to an elderly man asking him to stop texting in the theatre. I'm not saying he deserved to be shot dead, but if he'd had some respect for others, he might still be alive. My motto has always been "A smile & a kind word can go a long way and it's FREE". They may be words to live by.
In my opinion, the only one out of control was Oulson. He seems like a disrespectful azzhole who got what he deserved when he, after assaulting an old man, attempted to batter him as well. You don't have to wait to be physically assaulted to use self-defense.
The liberals will all call for the ex-cops head on a platter because everyone, no matter what they have done or what anti-social behavior they exhibit (including murderers, rapists, violent criminals et al) has a right to live. The only exception: babies. Those can be killed by the millions.
I would never convict this man for using self-defense.
Many people seem to want to take up with 71 year old ex cop read the stories he followed one woman to the bathroom because she was texting. This man was out of control unless the theater or the town hired him for the text assault unit he as a retired police officer had no right to badger other movie goers.He is an ex-police officer how many cases of officers shooting someone for deadly assault with popcorn. next is the fact that he was carrying a weapon in a area where they are not allowed yes i have a concealed carry permit and like most others i respect the laws concerning carrying. bottom line this man decided to be the theater police and when someone confronted him he shot them with all his training it took him awhile to be able to goad someone to a confrontation so he could use his gun.
Bob 2112: Couldn't have said it better myself.
Woofa: Go soak your head.
D in AZ - please try to get the facts straight:
"Why was he texting his three year old?"
He wasn't. He was texting his babysitter and checking on his three year old. You know, the kind of thing a good father just might do? Also, he was doing it BEFORE the movie started - so why in the hell was the shooter so annoyed by this particular behavior? Before a movie starts, people are usually talking - some loudly - but he picks on the guy quietly texting BEFORE the movie starts? Really?
I don't want to sound like an ass, but why they are making this sound like a man was shot for texting is just complete bs. He was shot because he thought throwing his popcorn at a 71 year old man was the persona of a the tough guy image he was fronting. I can understand that the movie was not started, just the trailers were...... but if a person asks you several times not to text.... why do it? Why not step outside of the theater room to do it if it was that important. No he decided he was going to be confrontational and bully an old man verbally, and when that wasn't enough he decided to escalate the situation physically by throwing popcorn on him. Wrong move because now he is dead. I don't think this should have come down to a shooting and it truly is senseless. Just stop pretending that A Navy Vet, and loving husband and father was shot for texting. My thoughts and prayers go out to the late mans child.
The Texter was asked to stop and did not. ( I have kids and babysitters, I step outside, even at restaurants to communicate. It is the courteous thing to do. When it pertains to my children I DO NOT text!)
The shooter told management and upon his return was accosted verbally and then had popcorn thrown at him. The texter acted like a 10 year old bully.
The shooter then took the WRONG action and shot him. He should spend the rest of his life behind bars. (so long as the texter was not PHYSICALLY trying to assault him. At 71 you can EASILY die or suffer major trauma from a punch).
So long as the shooter goes to jail and the loud mouth arrogant chest-thumping *rick is removed from society...It is win win.
You know how to avoid this whole bag of crap? Leave the damn phone in the car. Presumably the texter went into the theater to watch the movie, he didn't have a good reason to have that phone on. He got arrogant, and he messed with the wrong person, perhaps a bit unstable but if the phone is left in the car no problems! My son asked a guy that was sitting in front of him in the theater to quit talking on his phone and the guy wanted to fight. Sticking a gun in his face may have just sat him down!
Elvoid Get the facts straight, previews were on, he had been told to turn off the phone by on screen announcements, decided he was more important than anyone else. No phone means no phone, not "minimal intrussion", guy was out of line, impolite and disrespectful to others. Sounds like you think the rules can be bent to your own selfish liking. Like your sh** doesn't stink.
Did this need to end up as a shooting? No. Dead guy just had to be respectful and walk out of the theater.
I can't beleive the people that want to defend the frail old 71 year old man! Have you seen him?!?!?! He looks like a monster linebacker! He could have just smacked the younger one in the face and taken him down that way. And Bob--- you're wrong. The ex-cop didn't leave his seat to report the guy for texting, the ex-cop left the theatre to GO GET HIS GUN out of his car so he could shoot the young guy that was pissing him off. The old man should be in prison for the rest of his life for what he's done.
Our society is not supposed to support the idea that it's all good to murder someone if they annoy you! Half the posters on this thread would be dead if that were the case.
When he went out of the theater. Why didn't he just come back in and sit somewhere else? Because he was looking for a fight, that he knew he would win.
Bob, you're wrong. The shooter didn't asked politely; he demanded that Oulson stop texting. Oulson explained numerous times that he was just texting his daughter, and the shooter kept badgering him. Finally, the shooter got up and went to get management, but he must not have had any luck. Yea, Oulson did confront the shooter about going to the manager, but that got them into another argument. Both were yelling, so it wasn't verbal abuse. Granted, Oulson should have let it go and move somewhere else, but he definitely didn't deserve to get shot because he threw popcorn in Reeves face. Reeves should not have had a gun with him, and the fatal shooting at the very least is manslaughter. The self defense by his lawyer will not work. A jury will convict this ex-cop because this happened in front of witnesses!
Reeves politely asking to stop texting that you refer to was directed at another woman during another movie a week or two before he fatally shot Oulson.
By the way, Broken, you're wrong. Reeves had the gun when he first enter the theater. He went looking for the manager, but either he didn't find him or the manager didn't care to intervene!
Be cordial to strangers under any circumstance. You never know who is bats#!+ crazy.
The old man was a jerk thinking how dare someone talk back to him. Those of you defending him have very serious problems. The old man was (or is) a jerk and a nutcase. A woman reported a couple of weeks earlier, that he was rude to her in a theatre and even followed her to the bathroom when she got up.
All of the sick individuals posting in the defense of the old jerk are the exact reason we need more gun control.
I hope the PIG rots in jail the rest of his miserable pathetic life.
@ Bryan bunch of numbers
Wrong. The abusive prick was the old man.
Exactly!! this is what really happeneed but lying libtard media will make it look like none of this actually happened .. they want it to seem as though Reeves just stood up and shot Oulson for no reason.
I don't think Reeves should have shot him but Oulson was an aggressive, abusive prick .. I actually feel sorry for his wife.. who knows the crap she had to put up with when he was alive .. IMO The wife and daughter of Oulson are better off with that whacko out of their lives.
Oulson was a bully! How dare a young man verbally abuse a 71 year old man than throw popcorn on him. How inconsiderate can one be. What the hell? Now he is dead and the old man is in jail. I would think a Navy Veteran would have learned better respect for for elders as well as how important it is to follow the rules. What a sad situation! It really burns me up.
I've seen too many people say "win-win". It's a lose-lose.
There's a 3 year old without a father. There's a widow now trying to support a family on 1 income instead of 2. There's a 71 year old man possibly going to prison for a long time. Society will be stuck with that bill (so it's not a win for me). The shooter's wife is now going to be saddled with 10s of 1000s of dollars in legal fees. Afterwards, she will be stuck trying to pay for her expenses on just Social Security since it's most likely her retirement will be wiped out paying for defense lawyers.
There is no win-win here. This is a huge LOSE-LOSE for everyone involved, including society.
And when it comes down to assigning "blame" for this situation, it's not 50-50 either. I see it as 90-10. Thrown popcorn is not thrown punches. I fully supported Mr. Reeves until I found out the "assault" in question was thrown popcorn. When Mr. Reeves pulled his trigger, he did so knowing a father was on a date with his wife, coordinating via text with a babysitter. This wasn't some gang banger texting a fellow gang banger about a drug deal while flipping off some old ex-cop. It was a Navy father coordinating care for his 3-year old daughter. And Reeves KNEW THAT because Oulson told him so.
The worst part is knowing that cops do not go to jail. This guy walks via a jury of his peers, guaranteed.
John-1779666 I don't care who he was texting, he needed to leave the theater, no excuse, the dead guy was rude and inconsiderate. Did he deserve to die? No.
He was texting, asked to stop, did not, guy went to management, came back and the guy was still texting.....that's a lot of texting, time to be considerate and leave the theater unless of course societies politeness rules apply to everyone else except him.
Depends on the side of the story you are believing...some people are saying this STARTED from a cell phone, but that is not why he was shot. The dead guy was an as*hole. First off...GET OFF your cell phone. Your life is not more important than others. Second, after the shooter told him to get off (which he has a right to do) the guy mocked him. Then when the shooter got a theater employee, the guy threw popcorn in the shooters face. So it was more than just a guy whipping out a gun at a guy on a cell phone.
Odd that you wouldn't suggest leaving the damn gun in the car?
What a horror, can't imagine. An absolute tragedy both for the Reeves family and the Oulsons. Such a petty incident that escalated in to an unimaginable life altering event. So sorry and so very sad.
Afternoon Butter :-)
Kudos to the other movie-goers who tried to save him while they waited for paramedics. Such a sad story.
The shooter obviously has anger issues and should be kept away from the public. Annoying things happen every day, all around us...we are all guilty of annoying people at one time or another, as well. If everyone "solved" their problems with guns, we would all be dead.
Wake up! The texter had way more anger issues. I mean getting bent out of shape for politely being asked to stop the texting? Gets ticked off for old grumpy going to management and complaining about it, even know the texter was breaking the rules of the theater to begin with?? Now he gets up, turns around and assaults old grumpy, then wife of texter looks like she was raising her own hand trying to keep or hold her husband back from hurting old grumpy??? Wish the prosecutor luck on convicting old grumpy, because the defense has enough ammo to at least convince some jury members to rethink what actually took place in that theater, because the texter without a doubt was losing control and was probably going to hurt the old fart.
Yeah well David, you were not there. I like the adjective you just threw in there- POLITELY. Says who? Seriously, who ever said that he was a polite old grandfatherly sort begging the mean old texter (previous to the movie) to kindly stop texting before the lights went down?
I wonder what the actual witness will say. What? Witnesses? Yeah, I said that.
This is the first I heard where he asked "politely" Witnesses described him as aggressive. He's getting after another for texting during the movie after he blatantly ignored 'no guns' in the theater. From a witness, sounds like Mr. Reeves assaulted Mr. Oulson first by kicking the back of his chair because he was texting. Mr. Oulson "politely" explained about his daughter not feeling well so he was texting. But Mr Reeves wouldn't let it go and it broke out into an argument. Why didn't Mr. Reeves just move?!? He was being a controlling a$$. He was aggressive and pushing all along knowing he had a gun. He is really reaching about the dark object that hit his face. I'm sure the light weight popcorn really left a mark. Again, according to witnesses, all he did was stand up and turn around and the guy reacted. I hope he rots in jail like he deserves!
KnK-1755078 Texter needed to leave the theater, I don't care if he was texting the Queen of Sheba, a polite and considerate person would leave the theater.
This was murder - I see no justification for what the shooter did. And if he were black? He's already be convicted.
Well I guess that about wraps it up. No need for a judge and jury here asugirl since you "see no justification". But on the other hand was it dark in the theater? Was the shooter blinded by butter and salt from the popcorn such that he could not see what had hit him and did not know how much danger he was in? Did he fire by mistake because he couldn't see and his gun got hung up on his clothes that were in disarray from he assault? But of course no need to examine any of this because you asugirl do not see any justification therefore go straight to prison or the chair without a trial. In fact asugirl jerks like you are why shootings happen in theaters, you got all the answers to everything without all the facts.
jackass shooter should have been shot dead on the spot by cops.... bout time we quit wasting money on keeping trash alive
mike holmes, if you think all that bulls**t happened, you watch too much TV. Dark theatre, blinded by butter, disarrayed clothes and a hung up gun, and landed a fatal shot, lol. Keep going on your pipe, bud. lmfao. I carry a pistol and if I was irritated by someone texting, I would move to another seat, not kill someone. Period.
You see no justification as I assume you were not in the theater. And we are only getting part of the story and a story that favors the deceased.
I can agree with Bob 2112's scenario... The 71 year old was doing thing appropriately...asked the guy first to quit texting, and then went to management. Doesn't matter if the movie had started or not....he has the right to ask. He has the right to go to management. The younger guy though he would show off in front of his wife and really put the "old man" in his place. He just never expected the old man to have a gun.
IF you can not live without you phone for a couple of hours, stay home.
I will say, I went to the movie this last weekend...there were a lot less cellphones in use!
who what where:
Why is it appropriate to ask someone in a movie theater to stop texting (or talking, or eating, or laughing, or whatever) when they are doing this BEFORE THE MOVIE STARTS? That's just silly and you must know that - if you've ever been to a movie theater, that is. Before the movie starts, it's usually kind of noisy - people talking, looking for seats - whatever - and that is not a problem until the movie starts, is it?
Texting before a movie starts is hardly intrusive on anyone - and this comes from a guy (me) that really isn't a fan of texting and hardly ever does it - I prefer the old fashioned way - call and have an actual conversation if you have something to say.
@who what where
Are you serious............how can you justify this?!?! Here's a novel idea, why didn't he just movie seats or perhaps leave and ask for a refund?!?! Is a movie that important?
@who what where
and if you can't deal with society in public places without killing somebody...STAY HOME!
If the texter was out of line, the management team would have probably come out and warned him or asked him to leave.
Bottom line this is horrible that we live in a society that this happens,and it should not have came to this.But throwing popcorn is actually a assault even a glass of water would be also so no telling what would happen next.There are rules to follow (texting or talking on phone in theater)we all see them. If the rules where followed from the begining this would not have happened.Both parties are asses and because of this it wont be the last time we hear this.Very Sad
Wait for it:
"I thought he was reaching for a gun when he went to his popcorn -- so i shot him in self-defense."
I will sadly give even odds that this idiot walks free, or with some stupid thing like house arrest. Let's be clear -- he KILLED SOMEONE. he did not bump their car with his car....he did not slap someone, or even punch someone. He pulled out a lethal weapon that he has been trained to you, pointed it at the chest of someone he was upset with, and pulled the trigger.
He absolutely knew what he was doing, and had intent to kill. At close range. In a public place. He is a murderer -- plain and simple.
And the good news for the victim is that he's white so there's a chance this will be taken kind of seriously. Oh yeah, I said it.
We wonder why our children go into our school and shot people who call them names or annoy them, I can not believe that we so called adults can justify the murder of a man for texting. The man who was murdered was texting before the movie even started. The old clown verbally assaults the person who was texting, after going to the staff to tell him. My God in my mind there is no justification for this murder. But, the mean old fart will probably get off, it is Florida and look at how many people on this blog are stating that the shooting was justified. We American's and our guns, what the heck people, haven't we progressed and become more civilized.
I'm sure Mr. Reeves was a "responsible gun owner"... until he wasn't. He was defending himself against popcorn? Wow.
As some have said, the movie hadn't even started yet. He told the man he was texting his young daughter. I would like to hear some eye witness accounts of their conversation. This guy sounds like an angry old man, who couldn't control himself. Apparently he had confronted another lady a couple weeks earlier at a screening of The Hobbit, and told her to stop texting, again, before the movie even started. She left the theater to go the ladies room, and he followed her! At least he didn't kill her.
Now a wife and three-year old are left to pick up the pieces. Very sad.
Florida is not getting a very good reputation these days.
Considering the shooter has had confrontations in the past while in a theater, I'm beginning to believe he was looking for trouble. If you can't stand to be with other people in a theater, don't go. I don't like being distracted by other people in a theater so I put a projector in my own living room. Sure, I have to wait a few months before I can watch popular movies but it's worth it to be able to fully enjoy the movies. This shooter is the stereotypical crotchety old man, but instead of yelling "Get off my lawn!" while shaking a rake, he's shooting people. Probably from a bunch of pent-up rage built up over years of police work where he felt people got away with too much. Wonder what one would find in his file in terms of roughing up people he arrested...
He needs to be locked up and face all the people he's so mad at. Won't be a cakewalk for him, that's for sure.
I only go to the movies if my boyfriend forces me to. Otherwise, I wait for DVD, buy it for less than my tickets to the theater and can watch, pause, talk, text, eat- in the comfort of my own home. Waiting is no problem.
I'm a huge advocate of our 2nd Amendment rights and own/carry on a regular basis, but I don't care how much popcorn you throw at me, you won't get a bullet for it. Reeves' actions were out of control and he violated the number 1 rule of concealed carry, do nothing to aggravate the situation. He will be convicted and will probably spend the rest of his life in jail.
Todd,
I agree 100%. Lets hope you are right with him getting the rest of his pathetic life behind bars being someone's "old lady".
Todd, very well said. I also carry and if I was in that situation , I would move to another seat so there would have been no confrontation to begin with.
well stated, Todd651956
Really makes you wonder about what kind of cop he was.....
Cell phones should be banned in all public places. They are annoying as phuck. I run into them all the time in grocery stores. People yaking on their cells, not paying attention at how slow they are moving with their carts and getting in other people's way.
In this particular theater shooting, the victim had a big mouth and did not know how to control his emotions
At the point where the victim threw the popcorn in the old man's face, the old man faced a tough choice, to save face in front of everyone or let it go and end up being talked about for the rest of his life as the ex sheriff captain that backed down.
People have to learn to pick their fights and push it to a certain limit or end up paying the consequences such as in this instance. It's about saving face.
It's just tragic, but people die every day. Life moves on.
Are you serious?? Wow.
Who else in the theater would have known he was an ex sheriff captain? Unless HE announced it. He is the "respect my authority" type! SO because he was going to lost "face", it was okay to shot someone? Yes, people die everyday, but I would suspect you wouldn't think it was "life goes on" if it was a member of your family. Excuse me, but it sounds like YOU could benefit from some anger management classes. You appear to be a ticking bomb yourself!
OKWHATNOW..... please kill yourself now, you lack any meaningful purpose
Are you for real ? Cell phones should be banned in all public places? Not guns? Sincerly, are you for real? It takes you a few seconds to overtake some slow person in a grocery, a few seconds of your meaninful life. A kid is going to spend his entire life without a father, a mortaly close range shot father.
Realy, are you for real?
Are you kidding me? It sounds like you have some real anger issues to deal with yourself, buddy. A little girl lost her father, a wife lost her beloved husband. There is no such thing as a verbal assault that warrants deadly force, I don't care how much of a "big mouth" the man may (or may not) have been, nor has popcorn EVER caused any physical damage to anyone. The most frightening thing about your post...you think that "saving face" is a justifiable reason to kill someone. I sincerely hope you don't own a gun and don't live in my town. Your macho attitude is clearly the sign of someone who is insecure and dangerous. Get some help.
OKWhatNow,
I have to agree with everyone else responding to your idiotic post, you are a delusional POC. Nobody deserves to be shot or killed over someone being rude with a cellphone, period!
Pride or saving face is not a defense for murder. People just have no patience anymore.
I'm wondering why the guy had a gun with him. If you are so afraid of being out in society that you can't leave the house without a gun, you've got bigger issues than people using a cell phone.
You're completely right about picking fights - don't pick a fight just because somebody is texting their daughter. I realize people on phones can be annoying, but people are going to use phones - get over it. Just because you don't feel someone shouldn't be texting doesn't give you the right to impose your will on them. It's pretty much a given that if you mess with someone while they're texting, there's a pretty good chance there will be an altercation - if somebody were to tell me I couldn't text, I would tell them to go to hell (I don't own a cell phone) - Just because you used to be a cop, and you carry a gun doesn't mean you can go around telling people what they can or cannot do.
I guess I don't see how the victim is to blame
OKWhatNow: Serious a-hole.
That's some serious Sh*t! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Ex-cop was stupid and looking for trouble. He murdered someone in cold blood, without remorse, without thought. Needs the same done to him.
And I suppose we should ban all electronic technology in public too...(Sarcastic voice)
That's probably what drive-by shootings are about. "Gotta have the last word, gotta save face!" Can't respect that cowardice.
Dude! I know right! I just got home from the grocery where, as I was reaching for my favorite cereal, some grandma yapping on her phone ran into my leg with her shopping cart! Since I carrry, obviously, I turned and blew her away with one to the dome! Geez, could people be more rude!
***(Please note use of sarcasm and lighten up dude!)***
you must have crawled from under a rock. Now, go back to where you were.
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Looks like we should disarm the police, since they can't be trusted. Recently a Dallas on-duty cop shot an unarmed man, because he was "charging the officer".
Sadly for the cop, there was video that told otherwise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKqTzYDUYhE
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STILL waiting for the liberal "Grand Scheme to Convince Criminals to Give Up Their Guns"
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Todd C. your comment "First Skittles. Now Popcorn. I better be careful with my bubble gum. Don't want to get shot to death"
Such an insensitive, flippant comment at a time like this. It is no joking manner, even though you were just probably trying to bring some light heartedness to the matter.
I find my comment less offensive than the comments by people who say if a guy's rude it's okay to shoot him to death.
First Skittles. Now Popcorn. I better be careful with my bubble gum. Don't want to get shot to death.
Or you could be polite and not text in a crowd.
The standard line for discharging a firearm: I feared for my lemonheads.
Fag from Oregon
you throw popcorn and I use my 38 or .380 pistol on you , what a concept for protection .
sounds like the old guy was soft in the head.
proving again, 99% of the time we're all better off if you leave your gun at home for the day.
in florida you can never tell who might be carrying, so best to steer clear of any interactions with strangers.
Someone throws popcorn at you, you know it's popcorn.Curse out the thrower, That's it. This armed ex-cop came back looking for a fight. He could have just changed his seats.
So sad. So many lives indelibly shattered or traumatized by one person's inhumanity toward man.
and the shooter isn't exactly an angel either.
WOW.. Thick headed asswipe of a jackass
Oulson seems like such a darling...., punk got what he deserved.
This is my question...Why did the person have a weapon in a movie theater in the first place? I'm not sure about other states, but here in NC every theater I've ever been to has a no weapons decal on every entrance and on the ticket booths inside too. So I find his defense laughable that it was defense when he shouldn't have brought the gun in there in the first place.
Jvm125 you said in NC every theater you had ever been to has a no weapons decal on every entrance and on the ticket booths inside too.
While every state should implement this law, what's to prevent someone from sneaking a gun inside like people sneak their own food inside?????
Sooner or later theaters will have to be like airports and scan everyone before entering and a movie ticket will then cost about $30 or more.
What about the cop inside that took down the ex-cop...........when and where is the exception....he had a gun and he was a cop.....hmmmmmm
This is such a sad story, our country is so out of control. In the 1st place why was this x-cop carrying a gun into a movie theater? 2nd, on every movie screen it says to turn your cells phones off, no talking OR texting.
But regardless, that is no reason to shoot someone. Even if the man threw popcorn and was being verbally abusive, it is STILL no reason to pull out a gun and kill. PERIOD. His lawyer says he was defending himself...REALLY against what, a life and death situation????? I think not.
But let this be a lesson to everyone not to talk, text or use a cell phone once inside a movie theater, there is plenty of time to do that before entering. Life is a scary thing in today's world and becoming more and more scary all the time. People do not take human life as a sacred thing anymore, it's "I'll get you before you get me" or "I'll just get you PERIOD"
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Wolfe if you wanted to carry a wepon into a movie you can if you a permit. The law says that you cannot carry into goverment bldng ,sports staduim , and bars . Since the movie theater is none of the above he was legal. All the dead guy had to do was walk into the lobby because the movie hadn't started yet. What all people have to learn is be nice to each other and treat them the way they would want to treated . .
This dad probly told his daughter this 100s of times I wish he would have done what all dads tell their kids .
He will probley walk free because remeber he was not the aggressor.
If the movie had not yet started, then the texting gentleman was not in violation of anything.
In addition, he was texting his 3-year-old daughter - which for her was probably a lot of fun.
I don't see any other position to take - even if the ex-cop didn't know what was being thrown at him, the fact that he was still standing and could retaliate should have told him that what was thrown was non-lethal. This is a case of (as has been mentioned) a knee-jerk reaction (emphasis on 'jerk') that both should have walked away from.
I've heard it said, that the only good cop is a dead cop. I love good cops.
I feel for the traumatized theater goers who probably had no idea what was going on.
ummm they are still alive... get back under your rock
That thug should have not thrown the bag of popcorn, what a jerk have some respect.
If you really feel that way, please kill yourself
No thanks, but your welcome to, you seem to have such a misserable outlook on life if you bring up suicide.
Thug, eh? A man texting his 3-year-old daughter, who was probably loving the fact that she could talk to her daddy while he was away.
Movie hadn't started yet. What was the harm, here?
Yeah I read he was texting the babysitter to see if the sick baby was okay.
I thought what great parents leaving thier sick child at home to see a movie, well looks like he should have stayed home if he was so concerned.
Enraged, what's the harm in texting while your driving? No harm there either up until the point the distracted driver plows into your car. Yep, this was a small bending of the rules, no harm no foul. But because people have that attitude of breaking the rules because it's no big deal opens the doors for others to bend the rules that have deadlier consequences.
This is such a sad story. I hate that Chad Oulson did not make it. Sincere sympathy to his wife, family members and friends. I know that he will missed by so many people......
Wayne LaPierre is now calling for all bags of popcorn to contain a loaded weapon.
Seems you can't go anywhere in this country any longer without running into some inconsiderate person showing their ass. You would think with all the people who now carry guns they would think twice before pissing someone they don't know off. It is inevitable that if you continue to do this you will eventually run into one of these individuals who are just looking to use their weapon. A smart mouth can easily get you shot nowdays. Welcome to the new America.