Posted on 02/25/2022 6:19:36 PM PST by 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.
He was shot because he threw popcorn. Period. Nothing noted he was reaching for a weapon. It was a standard reaction to someone telling him to stop texting which in itself is quiet. He threw the popcorn at a moron who then over reacted and shot him. Police protect their own, retired or not.
This old guy was a cop for decades, started a SWAT organization and founded the security apparatus at Busch Gardens. He said he never had to pull his weapon and shoot anyone during that very long career.
Chad was 6’4 and pissed. The old man said he had never seen anyone that aggressive in all his years.
I don’t believe it was just popcorn either, but it could have been the popcorn AND the cell phone AND the move over the seats towards the old man AND Chad’s shear size that got him shot.
Reeves is a Karen and Oulsen assaulted him for it?
The press makes it out as a shooting over popcorn being thrown.
from Ammoland Inc. Posted on March 13, 2017 by Dean Weingarten
” The case has been characterized as a retired police officer shooting someone who threw popcorn at him. I was surprised to see the reality when surveillance video of the confrontation was released. The violent confrontation took about 1.3 seconds.
During that period, Chad Oulson snatched the popcorn container from Reeves lap, flung it at his face from about a foot away, rapidly extended his hand toward Reeves face again, and pulls it back, fractions of a second before Reeves shoots. In the video, you can only see Oulson’s outstretched arm and hand. The rest of him is outside the surveillance video frame.
Correction: There were two thrusts at Reeves, but the above paragraph has the sequence wrong. The first thrust is to grab the popcorn, the second is to fling the popcorn. The above paragraph states that the grabbing and flinging were in one motion, and then a second motion without the popcorn. “
I think the old man did fear harm. I didn’t pay much attention to the trial but followed it when it happened. At least nobody was threatening jury for mob justice like someplace northwest of Florida.
Boy! Oh boy! The mamby-pambies have sure come out on this thread!
That's what I wondered when you replied with a rant to my original reply to your ping, which was:
"Thanks for the ping.
Not going to pick a side in this, but I will make a couple of comments:"
AND my first comment addressed your concerns about The Law being unable to direct this incident to a Morally Right conclusion, in your rant.
Why would you START an argument?
Comments?
My parents taught me to allow other movie goers undisturbed viewing.
I work in an area where the indigenous natives shoot each other in the head over a $20 bill or a gratuitous insult. Of course, I CC but more importantly, I do not under any circumstances get into an ego battle with the locals.
You are a wise and observant man.
Thanks, actually just a self preservationist. But, its working for me.
States that do not have that law reach ridiculous results. There was a lady in Virginia that was prosecuted for *murder* some time back in the 90s because a guy broke into her home, and instead of running out the back door she shot him dead.
I don't know if VA has changed the law, but they should.
what the hell kind of jury would let this pass?....idiots I guess.
he remins of my non gone FIL....arrogant, self centered, self righteous creep....
Found a few more details today. From http://miami.cbslocal.com/2022/02/28/retired-florida-swat-officer-curtis-reeves-acquitted-of-fatally-shooting-fellow-moviegoer-over-cellphone-use/ :
As the previews began and despite an announcement to turn off cellphones, Oulson continued texting his 22-month-old daughter’s day care. Reeves leaned over and told him to stop — Reeves says politely, Oulson’s widow and others say it sounded like an order. After Oulson bluntly refused, perhaps with profanity, Reeves went to complain to the manager. When Reeves returned, seeing that Oulson had put his phone away, he told Oulson that if he wouldn’t have told the manager if he known he would comply.
What happened over the next few seconds is where the stories diverge until Oulson grabbed Reeves’ popcorn and flicked it back into Reeves’ face. Reeves pulled his .380 handgun, lunged forward and fired one shot, killing Oulson and nearly severing the finger of Oulson’s wife, Nicole, who had reached out to pull her husband back to his seat.
Escobar said the evidence proves their contention that during the disputed seconds, Oulson, before being shot, threw his cellphone at Reeves, striking him in the face, and then appeared ready to climb over the seats and attack, reaching toward him.
Reeves testified Thursday that in his entire law enforcement career he had never encountered someone so out of control and he feared he was about to be killed. Given his age, arthritis and other physical ailments, Reeves contended he could not have defended himself except by shooting.
Escobar said that it took less than three-quarters of a second between the popcorn toss and the shot. That is too fast for it to be the reason Reeves fired, he said.
“Impossible,” Escobar said.
But Rosenwasser contended Reeves’ story was a lie. Security video does not show Oulson throwing his cellphone, the prosecutor said, and Reeves had no injury on his face where he says it hit him. But the video does show Oulson grabbing Reeves’ popcorn bag, tossing it at him and Reeves firing. Witnesses testified they heard Reeves then mutter, “throw popcorn at me.”
He said Reeves’ story about fearing for his life, that he was a physical “fragile egg” despite having just come back from a hunting trip and Oulson being out of control are all fabrications. They are aimed, Rosenwasser said, at covering up the fact that Reeves has an “alpha male mindset” who liked the adrenaline rush of being a police officer and SWAT commander. He killed Oulson in anger after he had his ego hurt by being challenged and having popcorn thrown in his face, Rosenwasser said.
It should be legal to kill anyone who texts during a movie. I didn’t pay good money to look at your blue screen. If you can’t stop for 2 hours, then don’t go to a movie or die!
Yes I am totally serious.
I do indeed appreciate the sentiment.
Old people have a definite disadvantage in that a younger larger person is physically stronger and most likely, you are not outrunning them either.
Its kill or be killed. I have made my peace with it, if it comes to that myself. I am 60, slow and not going to have more than 30 seconds of stamina to fight. Yes, I will kill them if attacked.
Some people need killing. The child will hopefully raised by someone with better sense and impulse control.
Used to be armed forces folks respected the elderly, so throwing that out as a defense fell on flat ears here. The fellow shot disrespected the rules and got called out for it... then went ape crazy aggressive on an old fellow and if he had half the ails I do at a somewhat younger age I don’t see the ruling as unjust as you do. I am on blood thinners and any 6’4” young fellow that comes at me like that probable would get the same. True I might also retreat if possible, but this nation (I am sure you know) also respect that for evil to win, good men must say nothing. Standing one’s ground because one is in the right, and the other was butthurt because he was “rightfully” called out on it. Your big military fellow could of just as easily got up and went to the lobby to make his call.
Please do not ping me again, I don’t know how I got on your list.
I will be more than happy not to ping you.
” a good lawyer will sue the pants and smirk off this piece of trash...”
well he’s had 8 years to get everything OUT OF HIS NAME.
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