I'm not saying he was or was not talking. I'm saying that when I go the movies, before the actual movie starts it's ok to talk, txt or whatever. Even after the movie starts, if someone is annoying you let the management deal with the problem. Especially if you're packing....

Anyone who's truly competent to carry a gun wouldn't even clear leather in a dark movie theatre because something might have brushed his face. If you can't see your target or what's behind it, you don't even think about shooting, let alone with such weak justification (or complete lack thereof). I can see his defense lawyer saying exactly what you wrote, but I don't see a jury buying it. Whatever happens to Reeves, he's facing ruinous legal costs and then a phat lawsuit from the texter's wife. If he doesn't die in prison, he'll die in section 8 housing.

So it's dark you don't defend yourself? Again I was not there and neither was anyone on here. All we have to go by are what's being reported by the media and we all know they only report the truth. All I'm saying is I can see how it got to that point. It should never have gotten that far.

That there is a very important detail.

^^^ this.

And having been to plenty of movies, I'd have to say that yelling at a guy to stop texting is more disruptive than the texting itself. And don't forget, the movie had not started yet!

He asked the guy to put his phone away. I'm pretty sure the yelling didn't start right away.

It has to be asked. Why did the older guy ask him to put his phone away during the "shorts"?

If the movie had started then he would be justified in asking him to put his phone away but during the "shorts"????

I'm guessing there is more to this story.

My thoughts in post #28:
Of course, it could always be true that "the texter" wouldn't have continued after the movie began, but it could go either way.

And after the movie begins, why should someone have to miss part of the movie to go find a manager? That's another win for the texter... he would probably be chuckling to himself for making the guy miss part of the movie.

Very soon, there will probably be signs on the doors to the rooms housing the individual screens saying:
TURN YOUR CELLPHONE OFF NOW --
BEFORE YOU GO IN --
IF A PATRON HAS TO COME GET A MANAGER
BECAUSE YOUR PHONE IS NOT OFF,
YOU WILL BE ESCORTED OUT OF THE THEATER
AND NO REFUND OR PASS WILL BE ISSUED.

Clear enough?

No, I do not condone the shooting with the info we have now. I'm merely stating that people need to be aware that cellphones and theaters don't mix.

Get up and walk to the hallway if you have to make a call.

They already have those signs down here.

I get your point but the older guy should have cut him some slack...

To me this whole incident screams "control issues". The retired cop clearly has those issues IMO.

I've seen it before in many people and not just retired, serving cops. It's like YOU WILL DO IT MY WAY...
That attitude just gets my back up. It's like "I can step on you and there's nothing you can do about it".

I personally will not put up with it. I just walk away without saying a word.

So you completely missed the part where "texting guy's" control issues dictated that he not allow anyone to tell him what to do?

Yeah, that'll work.

Both parties contributed to what happened. Texting guy began it all.

One more sign for the door to the theater:

NEVER BRING A
BOX OF POPCORN
TO A GUNFIGHT.

So if the guy texting had continued to text through the previews and continued though the movie and the old guy never said anything the texting guy would still be dead?

That's not an uncommon "retirement" age for cops and firefighters in CA. See post #14. It may be different in FL:

Mandatory Retirement


G

I don't know how you could possibly get that from what I said, but by all means please try to explain how you did.

Sorry if I misinterpreted. I thought you were implying that the texter should have just obeyed the old guy and stopped what he was doing without question.

More like if he had stopped texting........he would still be alive.

Great society we live in... Just kill people that get on our nerves...

Remember....only humans do it. Not animals.

Been going on since the stone age.

Mankind.......:rolleyes:

Most Murder2 cases start as trivial disputes, or at least a lot of them seem to. Usually they involve thuggish or violent types, someone gets "disrespected" and next thing you know, someone is bleeding to death on the ground.

Alcohol is also a common factor. It seems like a lot of M2 cases occur in the parking lot of a bar, scuffle/fight and then someone takes it to the next level with a gun or a knife.

This doesn't seem much different to me. Being a *glass-half-full* kind of guy, the only upside to this tragedy is that maybe some people will be thinking twice about texting or answering a phone in a movie theater. :)

Cliff notes after reading CNN report 10:07 PM EST, Tue January 14, 2014:

Bond denied for ex-cop Curtis Reeves who allegedly shot texting dad - CNN.com

1- Curtis Reeves got into an argument with another moviegoer over texting. The two men exchanged words that gradually became more heated

2- Chad Oulson was using his cell phone and Reeves told him to put it away

3- The two men began to argue; Reeves, had gone to seek a manager's help to stop the texting

4- manager was busy with another customer and Reeves never addressed his complaint with a supervisor.

5- "He came back very irritated," Cummings recalled.

6- Voices were raised. Oulson threw a bag of popcorn at Reeves, police said. Then, the former police officer took out a .380 semi-automatic handgun and shot Oulson.

7- Witnesses told police they saw no punches being thrown during the incident;

8- Per Cobb Theatres website: prohibited items-no cell phone use, including texting, in the theater auditorium. And no weapons allowed.

* Atty: Shooter had previous text incident; An attorney says Curtis Reeves had a previous incident with a woman in a movie theater involving text messaging.

<iframe width='416' height='234' src='http://www.cnn.com/video/api/embed.html#/video/us/2014/01/14/fl-movie-theater-shooting-suspect-text-altercation.wfts' frameborder='0'></iframe>

If the shooter got up out of his seat and left to talk to the manager, why couldn't he just move to a different seat away from the texter? That had to be less effort. IMO, he was trying to play cop and enforce the theater's policy against texting. Killing a person over texting? Over popcorn tossed at him? Is this the friggen wild, wild west? WTF?

The victim deserved to be tossed out on his ear by the theater management, and even have the cops called to see if he should be charged for his behavior in the incident. Just not killed.

What's with this? :eek:

The video is worth watching.

Probably the most telling sign is how far the local Sheriff is throwing one of his own under the bus.
Officers rarely if ever turn on one of their own.

He did stop. The angry old piece of human trash still shot him. If you think the texting dude was in the wrong please stay at the silent movies the talkies aren't for you

Sure, he stopped...But then he started arguing, throwing stuff and was probably hot headed enough to get in the old man's face.

If he would have just let it go after the old guy returned, he might still be alive.

What movie was it?


Every movie I have been to lately was so loud you couldn't hear a little text beeping.

^ Lone Survivor.

A type of action movies that hot headed guys would be flocking to.

I suppose he could have just seen "Gran Torino" at home as well.

OMG! The old dude glared at a woman who was texting during a movie! What is his problem? None of us would ever do that. Lock him up!

Sounds like they both have some issues.

Or perhaps people will think twice about getting up in someones face over something so trivial.

I used to be a fairly aggressive and agro driver, thought nothing of flipping someone off if I was offended by their driving style (tailgating, cut in front of me with inches to spare).

However, as I have matured I have come to realize that:
A) You never know where the other guy/gal is coming from, i.e. they just got fired, had a big hairy argument with the S.O., just found out someone they love is dieing of cancer or is jacked up on drugs.
B) You never know who is packing.

I spend my life accommodating asshats who are disrespectful, don't follow the rules, push and shove their way to the front of the line, cut me off in traffic, steal from me, etc...they think they can do whatever they please. While I don't think anyone should be shot for bad behavior, that is certainly the root cause here. When I was younger, people did not act like this (probably because they would have been punched in the nose. Now, no one wants to get involved and bad behavior rules. Clearly the theater does not enforce its posted policies and many posting here seem to think that calling/texting in a theater is acceptable...as is threatening old men who ask that a little common courtesy be extended.

Again, I hate to see a man shot and killed, but recognize that being an asshat increases ones risks...much as street racing does for a driver. I have more sympathy for the old guy who felt he was being assaulted and the dead guy's family than for the dead guy. He may not have deserved this, but he was certainly asking for it. You can guarantee that if a young 250lb body builder (not an old man) had asked him to stop texting and then went to management...this guy would not have jumped up and got into the older guy's face when he came back into the theater (and the guy's wife would not have been put in the position of having to restrain him from coming after the old dude). Like all "tough guys"... you eventually run into someone that just refuses to take your crap.

Old piece of human trash is going to spend the rest of his life locked in a cell getting butt raped. Ex Cop in the slammer is gonna go over really good :) it is true, eventually you do run into someone that refuses to take your crap. This is why society is going to end up locking this old fart up. We are no longer willing to take crap from old farts with big tempers big guns and small dicks.

^ Why are you overlooking the fact that if Mr. Texty Text would have just kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't have a hole in his chest?

Are you the type of person that would throw a tantrum if someone asked you to put away your phone? What kind of 43 year old man acts like a little baby?

We certainly could benefit from a lot more civility and courtesy in our populace. I don't know how we can cut down on these bad behaviors, but I personally try to be a reasonably good example. I also leave my guns at home.

The shooter should have changed seats . BUT ego was involved for both men.
Certainly an experienced police officer should know how to defuse a heated situation BUT I think both were probably hot heads and neither was backing down . One was armed (also against the rules in the theartre) Certainly two wrongs don,t make a right but the shooter was just as guilty of breaking rules in the theatre just he felt entitled to correct everybody else,s behavior before examining his own.
I was on a plane returning from Mexico a few years ago I quietly tilted my seat back as I was allowed to do after the seat belt sign went off. The jerk behind me pushed it back up and started arguing with me because he was over 6 ft and needed the room .
I argued back and it was getting a little loud. I or my wife called the stewardess who arrived and told the guy I had every right to tilt my seat. .In this example all seats were full and all were the same size, so neither of us could move. The theatre had plenty of seats with only about 25 people there.
A 3 yr old little girl is an orphan because a guy brought a gun into a theatre .
If he wasn,t armed I,m sure both would have survived. Even if someone was punched.
Makes me think now I could have been shot if the same thing happened on a bus or some other transportation where no weapon screening is done before boarding.

A dead one.

Um, I saw in a documentary groups of primates (chimpanzee, gorillas) go to 'war' and kill each other for no apparent reason. Also packs of wolfs have been know to take down animals and walk away without eating them... so it is not just a human thing.

Free speech. I can say whatever I want. You may not shoot me for it. I am over looking nothing.

Why is a minor annoyance a justification for murder in your mind. Please seek help you are not normal.

I personally would have said nothing to the old guy. I would have ignored him just like I ignore other human trash everyday. I would not have even acknowledged he existed. You should send him some lube man, maybe someone will do the same for you after you snap and kill someone. :)