Florida gunman at movie screening says he feared attack

MIAMI (Reuters) - The man charged with shooting and killing a fellow
moviegoer during an argument over cellphone use in a Florida theater is
a retired police officer who says he feared being attacked.

Curtis Reeves, 71, a former Tampa police captain, was charged with
second-degree murder after Monday's shooting.

He was denied bond during a video appearance from jail before a circuit
court judge in Pasco County on Tuesday afternoon and faces possible life
in prison if found guilty.

The killing occurred before the showing of a new combat drama "Lone
Survivor" that stars Mark Wahlberg and tells the story of four Navy
SEALs on an ill-fated covert mission in Afghanistan. The movie is based
on a New York Times non-fiction best seller.

The Pasco County sheriff's office said Reeves was watching coming
attractions with his wife when they got into an argument with
43-year-old Chad Oulson and his wife, who were seated directly in front
of them in the Tampa-area Grove 16 movie theater.

Oulson was using a cellphone to text message or make a mobile video call
to a daycare center or babysitter looking after his 3-year-old daughter.

According to an arrest affidavit released by the sheriff's office,
Reeves said he brandished and fired his .380-caliber semiautomatic
handgun after Oulson stood up and struck him in the face with an unknown
object.

Oulson's wife, Nicole, was wounded in the hand by the same fatal gunshot
that hit her husband in the chest, police said.

Although the affidavit quotes Reeves as saying he was "in fear of being
attacked" when he fired his gun, witnesses said Oulson had only thrown a
bag of popcorn at him.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco told reporters outside the movie
theater on Monday that it was "absolutely crazy" for an argument over a
cellphone to escalate so badly out of control.

Lawyers for Reeves could not be reached for immediate comment, and it
was not clear whether he would seek immunity from prosecution under
Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law.

The statute allows people to use deadly force to defend themselves from
serious injury, rather than retreat to avoid confrontation, if they
believe their life is in danger.

(Reporting by Tom Brown; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Steve Orlofsky)

http://tinyurl.com/mjxsw5a


And for old friend Gene, a real troll:

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—A new study released today indicates
that Americans are safe from the threat of gun violence except in
schools, malls, airports, movie theatres, workplaces, streets, and their
own homes.

Also: highways, turnpikes, libraries, places of worship, parks,
universities, restaurants, post offices, and cars.

Plus: driveways, garages, gyms, stores, military bases—and a host of
other buildings, structures, and sites.

National Rifle Association C.E.O. Wayne LaPierre applauded the study,
saying that it reinforced his organization’s long-held position that the
United States does not need additional gun laws. “This study makes it
abundantly clear that Americans are in no danger of gun violence except
in these isolated four hundred and thirteen places,” he said.

He added that he hoped that the study would spark a conversation “about
the root cause of mass shootings: people who recklessly show up at
places where they could be shot at.”



- - - -

What could be a more appropriate response to having a bag of popcorn
tossed at you than to whip out your pistol and shoot the popcorn tosser
dead?


Oh...no personal insults were "slung" in this post.