Curtis Reeves found not guilty on all charges (FL Theater Shooting)

WFLA ^ | 25 February 2022 | Robert Pandolfino

[NautiNurse]

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Curtis Reeves, the man who shot and killed Chad Oulson at a Wesley Chapel movie theater in 2014 was found not guilty on all charges Friday night.

After over three hours of deliberation, a six-person jury returned to the courtroom Friday evening and delivered its verdict. Reeves was found not guilty of the counts of second-degree murder and aggravated batter

Reeves has never denied shooting Oulson, but has maintained that he was acting in self defense.

The retired police captain spent several hours on the witness stand Thursday, telling a Pasco County jury about what he says happened the day he shot Oulson in the theater.

He also testified about his career in law enforcement. Reeves helped establish the SWAT team for the Tampa Police Department and ended his career as the head of security for Busch Gardens.

He told the jury he had never drawn his weapon and shot anyone in his years of service as a police officer and says he never encountered rage from anyone the way he did from Oulson the day of the shooting.

[Navy Patriot]

Thanks for the ping.

Not going to pick a side in this, but I will make a couple of comments:

1 It seems The Law complicated this situation.

I believe that it is a serious problem with a culture and society when a law must be passed to allow a citizen to defend one's self and NOT be required by that culture and society to run away and cower before an aggressor and beg for mercy.

The Right to Defend One's self and Stand Your Ground to do so when attacked, should be accepted without question by the entire society.

2 The outcome of this incident is the same as if there was no law whatsoever in that society.

3 The Jury agreed with Reeves' evaluation of the threat.

4 Most ordinary people go to movie theaters to watch movies, not other people talking, texting or watching music videos on their cellphones. Some people actually watch and enjoy previews and Hollywood news.

5 I have seen theater audiences give a hearty round of applause to patrons who notified managers of cellphone abusers and popcorn throwers, and the same applause for security guards who removed them.

6 It is possible to directly provoke people to kill you.

7 Language is full of time worn colloquialisms explaining that there is no surprise in irritating people experiencing a sudden demise or injury to their face.

8 I have seen, with my own eyes, one single punch, from an average male individual, kill another healthy male.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Once he saw / believed an attack was inevitable and likely life threatening he had a right to shoot.

But as I’ve pointed out, avoidance is preferable - even when you are right. There are too many unstable and dangerous people out there. While he was justified to ask this man to behave properly, he was foolish to do so. The man’s behavior was a red flag to be avoided. Go to a different part of the theater or ask the management to deal with it. One of the reasons (of several) I don’t go to movie theaters is the number of moviegoers who have no consideration for anyone around them, no manners. I refuse to be subjected to it.

[TexasGator]

He did go to management. This really ticked off the guy.

[TexasGator]

The last thing I want when carrying is to get into a conflict.

[Albion Wilde]

Sorry. There is just no excuse for his continuing to insert himself behind the guy whom he said was "out of control." He got up and went either to the manager or to his car and came back. It was more than time enough to decide to signal to his wife that they should get up and move seats—there were only 10 people in the theater—like any normal person would do, but no. He said the guy should stop texting, and by god, he was going to make that happen!

I do not think he initially asked "politely"; I think he was on a power and authority trip and I hope he's happy having gotten away with killing a young father for the sake of his former cop ego. Such pompous asses give good cops a bad name.

[Albion Wilde]

I have watched it numerous times. I find your victory dances in the end zone utterly repugnant. A child was orphaned by an arrogant old snowflake whose ego was bruised and who had eight years to rehearse his poignantly dramatic victimhood testimony. I hope the widow appeals.

You have been crowing on here about your expert inside knowledge that it wasn't just popcorn, and that the other guy stood over him, etc. and scolding people for not posting their links. So over to you: post your links showing him throwing his cell phone and standing over the guy.

[Albion Wilde]

I will gladly stop contacting you. Thanks for letting me know your preference.

[Navy Patriot]

OK, which of my statements was untrue?

[Albion Wilde]

Did Reeves have any opportunity to walk away, retreat, just get the heck out of there?

Yes, he certainly did. But he decided to be a stubborn old fool and ended up killing a U.S. military veteran and dad in front of his wife.

[Albion Wilde]

when I carry a gun I avoid confrontation like the plague. In this situation I never would have said anything to the man. People who are like that in public can be reasonably assumed to be aggressive. I would have either moved to another part of the theater or I would have gone up front and requested management send someone down there. Or I would have just requested a refund and left. When somebody younger and bigger than you is clearly an asshole do not engage them. Period

100%. This guy won a legal victory. Still doesn't make him right.

[Albion Wilde]

Wondering whether Oulson's wife has trained her daughter to spend countless hours on a cell phone for idle entertainment. Don't want to know what happens when the daughter eats popcorn.

What a filthy, revolting, libelous thing even to think, much less to post.

[Albion Wilde]

There is a difference between legally permissible and morally right. Abortion is legally permissible; but it kills a human being. Firing people for calling a transman “ma’am” is legally permissible; but it’s tragic to deny a person his livelihood and reputation over an ideological myth. A man can marry another man, but it’s not an actual marriage, and needs a third or third and fourth party to reproduce. This old guy got away with murder. It may have been as legally permissible as gay marriage, but that’s only because of legal hairsplitting and this country’s morals having gone into the toilet.

[NautiNurse]

The trial videos with all of the testimony are widely available online, and they include the security camera footage from the theater. Do a search for "Reeves trial" or "Chad Oulson trial."

Your emotional baggage does not give you the right to alter the facts of the case. Your description of Curtis Reeves as "an arrogant old snowflake whose ego was bruised" was not demonstrated during the trial.

The only snowflake around here is you. Let me know how the widow can appeal a not guilty verdict for the defendant. I listened to her false testimony on the stand. Her fairy tales of rainbows and unicorns about her husband were refuted by multiple prosecution witnesses.

[M Kehoe]

Hi guy.

Hope you are having a great weekend. (Excellent weather).

I listened to some testimony. I have a different perspective on the situation.

I carry everywhere I go. Because I carry, I try and defuse or disengage from a situation. For example, once I asked Mr. Olsen (politely) to lower the volume. If he didn’t or caused more noise, I would have moved.

I thought he would get manslaughter 1.

Fwiw.

5.56mm

[wardaddy]

He wasn’t assaulted by my standards

I was unaware of this till today

An argument ensued because the younger man with his wife was texting during previews....his wife said to check on their child....I assumed that was collaborated

They argued .

Reeves went to the mgt and complained

He came back same seat.

Further arguing

Dead man throws popcorn ....folks here say it was a cell phone ...I don’t know

Reeves feels threatened and shoot younger man in chest and kills him and also hits man wife in hand

That’s all I’ve got

I don’t see this cut and dried at all and if I shot everyone who did this I’d need my own graveyard to bury them in

The old man at trial had the benefit of eight years later he’s quite old and has cane now

Low rate manslaughter would have been a more appropriate charge

Freepers threshold for killing is quite low

Easy for folks who’ve never killed or had to make that call to say

If you’ve got more please share

[Albion Wilde]

Sorry; not sorry that my disgust at his getting away with murder offends you.

[Navy Patriot]

There is a difference between legally permissible and morally right.

Thus my very first post #1:

1 It seems The Law complicated this situation.

Again which of my statements is not true?

[wardaddy]

That helps and you’d think with Leo training he should know have to avert issues like this

Such as moving to another seat

[George from New England]

“If my information is correct, 5 of 6 of the jurors in the Reeves trial hold concealed weapons permits. One juror is a competitive target shooter.”

Might have been the prosecutor(s) didn’t want a conviction, so they allowed a jury, knowing he could and would likely walk.

Deep state.

[George from New England]

I never recall hearing the dead guy was a vet.