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Reeves is a retired police captain, according to the article. The surveillance film damns his case.

No argument on the throwing popcorn/assault, but it doesn’t warrant a shooting. It warrants getting up, calling the police, and pressing charges.

I’ve been carrying since PA went shall issue. We have “Stand Your Ground” here too. But any jury seeing that surveillance film is going to put this guy in jail.

“...Both sides could’ve walked away at any time or backed down....”

True enough. And the man with the lethal force capability in his hand should have gotten up and called the police. He WAS a cop, after all, and ostensibly knows the laws he was supposed to be enforcing.

“...Throw a bag of popcorn at an officer’s face at a protest and see if there is any charge or response...”

The protestor would be pepper-sprayed and billy-clubbed, most likely. Not shot.

Again, though... none of us were there, so it’s is difficult to say what we “should” or “would” do. Anger is a powerful emotion, and some patsydumbf*ck throwing popcorn (and a cellphone too, allegedly) at you would piss anyone off. And it is indeed possible the older guy was “in fear for his life”. That may well be the case; 71 is no match for 31, 41, 51...

The film, however, as grainy and lousy as it is, is going to damage him.

It warrants getting up, calling the police, and pressing charges.

Let's pretend old man stood up from his seat after initial assault by younger guy. The younger guy is still facing older guy, but now they are face-to-face. Does younger guy fear that older guy is standing with intent to confront him and physically retaliate? Is younger guy within his rights to throw a punch because old guy stood up, and young guy perceived this as threatening behavior?

Would old guy be obligated to inform younger guy that he planned to stand up with the intention of contacting law enforcement? Is old guy obligated to sit still until the younger guy makes his next move, whether it be a solid fist, or heeding his wife and sitting down?

[[No argument on the throwing popcorn/assault, but it doesn’t warrant a shooting.]]

Not in a well lit space where there is plenty of space between the two no- it wouldn’t- however in a dark theater- with a man screaming at you- and throwing popcorn and taking a swing at you- knowing that the man is already enraged- there is no telling what the fella might or might not have had in his hands-

[[And the man with the lethal force capability in his hand should have gotten up and called the police.]]

He had just gone to management to have the situation taken care of- The incident should have been over by the time he got back- but the text dude reengaged- and like someone said in previous post- The shooter’s eyes may not have been readjusted to the dark by then- and here this text dude starts swinging at him-

[[Anger is a powerful emotion,]]

True- and that is I think the crux of the case- it was no longer about a cell phone being thrown, nor popcorn being thrown, but was now about an enraged man attempting to attack the cop- and again, in today’s day and age- rage is more and more turning to deadly violence-

The shooter was an ex cop- He very likely has been witness to a great many cases of rage turning to violent ends- I’m sure that was going through his mind when the man re-engaged- and usually when people re-engage- they are doing so after having crossed a line of anger- in other words after they have sat and thought through the situation and become so pissed off that they re-confront the person-

We know that the victim’s wife tried to restrain him- likely fearful that his temper would result in a fight or perhaps bad ending either in arrest or whatever- unfortunately it did just that- it ended in his death-

I think post 232 breaks it down well- the text dude very likely blew his top while sitting and stewing about the previous incident- and the atmosphere turned hostile and dangerous as soon as He got up and turned around and did the things he did-

but i think you re right, he probably will be convicted- but we don’t know, as you say- all the evidence- maybe his lawyers can make a case for him- but it’s going to be tough=- many peopel just see 4 facts

Man with gun

Man with gun was a hothead

Man texting

Man with gun shoots man who texted-

And thinks the man with gun is automatically guilty of cold blooded murder-