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Thread: Curtis Reeves Acquitted in 2014 FL Movie Theater Shooting

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    Curtis Reeves Acquitted in 2014 FL Movie Theater Shooting

    Curtis Reeves, Retired Cop, Named as Suspect in Wesley Chapel, FL Movie Theater Shooting

    Curtis Reeves, a retired Tampa police officer, has been identified as the suspect in a shooting at Grove 16 move theater in Wesley Chapel, Florida on Monday. Chad Oulson has been identified as one of the victims. He died, while his wife Nicole Oulson, who was shot in the hand, suffered non-life threatening injuries.

    Pasco County Sheriff’s spokesman Doug Tobin said two couples had been watching “Lone Survivor” at the theater in the city, which is north of Tampa, when the suspect and his wife apparently took issue with the couple in front of them over use of the phones.

    “The suspected decides to pull out a .380 (handgun), and he shoots the victim,” Sheriff Chris Nocco said, reported Bay News. “It’s absolutely crazy that it would rise to this level of (violence) over somebody texting at a movie theater.”

    The couples were at a 1:20 p.m. showing of the movie.

    ABC identified the suspect as Reeves, and reported that he was also director of security at Busch Gardens until 2005.

    The sheriff’s office says an off-duty Sumter County deputy detained Reeves until deputies arrived.

    Reeves has been arrested on a charge of second-degree homicide. The theater, which includes a restaurant theater called the CineBistro, was evacuated and closed.

    “Everybody is paranoid, scared, because a movie theater should be a safe place where people should be able to go out and enjoy themselves,” Nocco said. “But what America has seen over the last couple of years is that movie theaters have become dangerous places where injuries occur.”

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    No murder can be so cruel that there are not still useful imbeciles who do gloss over the murderer and apologize.

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    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Florida man accused of shooting movie-goer for texting sent text moments before

    DADE CITY, FLA. (AP) – A former police officer accused of killing a man in a movie theater during a dispute over texting had used his own phone to send a message to his son moments before the incident, according to documents released Thursday by Florida prosecutors.

    Curtis Reeves' son, Matthew Reeves, told detectives that his father texted him at 1:04 p.m. Jan. 13, the documents show. Curtis Reeves told his son he was already seated inside the theater. Matthew Reeves, who is a Tampa police officer, made plans to meet his parents at the theater for the 1:20 p.m. showing of "Lone Survivor" but was late because he stopped to wash his truck, he told detectives.

    Matthew Reeves said he had walked into the dark theater while the previews were playing and looked around for his parents. It was then, investigators said, that Reeves shot 43-year-old Chad Oulson.

    "Matthew said he did not see the shot directly, but the noise and light drew his attention to the top row of seats," Pasco County Sheriff's detective Aaron Smith wrote.

    Matthew Reeves tried to help Oulson by pressing a stranger's T-shirt against Oulson's bleeding chest wound.

    Curtis Reeves, 71, was charged with second-degree murder. He also was charged with aggravated battery; authorities say the bullet that struck and killed Oulson also struck Oulson's wife, Nicole, in the finger as she tried to shield her husband.

    Reeves has pleaded not guilty to both counts. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison.

    Reeves is being held without bail in the Pasco County Jail. His attorneys say Reeves acted in self-defense. Reeves told police that Oulson hit him in the face, possibly with a cellphone. Other witnesses, including Reeves' wife, say they never saw Oulson strike Reeves.

    Reeves' attorneys did not immediately return a call for comment regarding the hundreds of pages of newly released discovery evidence documents. A judge ruled Wednesday that the documents could be released publicly.

    In early February, the evidence was sealed from the public for 30 days so Reeves' attorneys could review it and perhaps challenge all or parts of its release to the public. They had no challenges Wednesday, largely because much of the information was released during a two-day bond hearing.

    A chunk of the documents are from Reeves' personnel file from his decades as a Tampa police officer. Reeves regularly received outstanding evaluations and numerous letters of commendation for leadership skills and for training he led on gun safety and other topics. He retired in 1993.

    The file also contains an interview with Jamira Dixon, a 35-year-old woman who said that in December, Reeves became upset with her because she was texting in the same movie theater. During the incident, she said, Reeves complained to a manager, then continued to stare at her throughout the movie and made her feel uncomfortable.

    The documents also offer witness interviews of the Jan. 13 shooting. They reveal the chaos and confusion in the theater when Oulson was shot.

    Edward McFadden, 76, told Pasco County Sheriff's detective Matthew Myers that he was seated in the theater and heard a loud noise behind him.

    "He told me it sounded like a gunshot, but he wasn't sure if it was real or from the previews because they had just shown a preview for `Robocop,' which had a lot of gunshots in it."

    http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/13...oments-before/
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    - Rev. Richard Hawke

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mike's Avatar
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    June 29, 2016

    Stand your ground hearing in Pasco theater shooting will take place in 2017

    The prosecution and defense in the murder trial of Curtis Reeves Jr., accused of fatally shooting a man in a movie theater, are scheduled to face off in a "stand your ground" hearing in February 2017 — more than three years after deputies said he pulled the trigger.

    The long-awaited hearing will determine whether Reeves acted in self defense under Florida law.

    If he prevails, the former Tampa police captain would be immune from both criminal prosecution and a civil lawsuit.

    But if the judge denies the defense's request, Reeves would stand trial in Pasco County for second-degree murder. If convicted, the 73-year-old faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Susan Barthle on Wednesday scheduled the hearing to start on Feb. 20. The proceedings could take up to a week or longer, and the judge rearranged her calendar to make sure she's available to hear the case in case a second week is required.

    Defense attorney Richard Escobar said they might need the extra time in what has turned into a complicated and drawn-out court case.

    http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/...n-2017/2283544
    "There is a point in the history of a society when it becomes so pathologically soft and tender that among other things it sides even with those who harm it, criminals, and does this quite seriously and honestly. Punishing somehow seems unfair to it, and it is certain that imagining ‘punishment’ and ‘being supposed to punish’ hurts it, arouses fear in it." Friedrich Nietzsche

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mike's Avatar
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    Florida judge denies 'stand your ground' defense in shooting

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge has denied a "'stand your ground" defense for a retired Florida police officer who fatally shot a man in a movie theater over texting.

    Judge Susan Barthle ruled Friday that 74-year-old Curtis Reeves must stand trial in the death of 43-year-old Chad Oulson. Reeves is charged with second-degree murder.

    Reeves said he shot Oulson after he was either punched or hit in the face with a cellphone. The judge said a videotape of the events that afternoon didn't support his testimony.

    The incident happened in a movie theater in a suburb north of Tampa, after the two men got into an argument because Oulson was texting his daughter's day care during the movie previews.

    Reeves is free on bond.

    https://apnews.com/1b8c49e22ab84656a...&utm_medium=AP
    "There is a point in the history of a society when it becomes so pathologically soft and tender that among other things it sides even with those who harm it, criminals, and does this quite seriously and honestly. Punishing somehow seems unfair to it, and it is certain that imagining ‘punishment’ and ‘being supposed to punish’ hurts it, arouses fear in it." Friedrich Nietzsche

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    May 29, 2018

    February trial date set in Curtis Reeves theater-shooting case

    By Dan Sullivan
    tampabay.com

    DADE CITY — A judge has set a trial date of Feb. 25, 2019, in the case of Curtis Reeves, the retired Tampa police captain who claims he was acting in self-defense when he shot another man in a Wesley Chapel movie theater.

    Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Susan Barthle scheduled the trial at a hearing Tuesday, declining a defense attorney’s request to hold off.

    "I really don’t see any other option," Barthle said. "It’s time."

    Earlier this month, an appeals court upheld her decision to deny Reeves immunity from prosecution under the "stand your ground" self-defense law. Still unclear, though, is whether a new "stand your ground" hearing might be in order, due to recent changes to the law.

    Defense attorney Dino Michaels thinks so. At Tuesday’s hearing, he said the judge should wait until the Florida Supreme Court weighs in on the issue.

    "If we set a trial date, the defense would be forced to file a motion for a new hearing," Michaels said.

    But Assistant State Attorney Glenn Martin said the case has dragged long enough.

    "This is four years now in the making," he said. "Let’s get it done."

    Reeves, 75, is charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 13, 2014, shooting of Chad Oulson inside the Cobb Grove 16 theaters. The two men argued over Oulson’s use of a cell phone during movie previews. Oulson approached Reeves and threw a bag of popcorn at him before Reeves drew a handgun and shot Oulson in the chest.

    In court, Reeves invoked "stand your ground," which says a person has no duty to retreat when faced with a violent confrontation and can use deadly force if faced with great bodily harm or death. His attorneys argued that Reeves feared Oulson was about to start beating him when he fired the fatal shot.

    The matter was the focus of a widely watched two-week hearing in spring 2017.

    Barthle rejected the defense argument. Reeves appealed, but the ruling was upheld.

    Weeks after the "stand your ground" hearing, the state passed a revised version of the law, which shifted the burden of proof in such cases to prosecutors. Previously, the defendant had to prove he or she was in fear when using deadly force.

    Courts statewide have disagreed about whether the new burden of proof standard should apply to "stand your ground" cases that were pending when the new law was passed.

    Attorneys for both sides in the Reeves case noted conflicting appellate decisions; one appeals court has said the law is retroactive while another has said it is not.

    The issue is likely to be decided by the Florida Supreme Court. But no one can predict how long that will take.

    "I can’t just sit by on this case or any other and just wait," Barthle said.

    Reeves did not attend Tuesday’s hearing. He remains free on bail.

    Oulson’s widow watched the proceedings quietly, sitting beside her attorney T.J. Grimaldi. Afterward, he told reporters they were happy the case was moving forward.

    "I think it’s quite ridiculous that it has taken four years," he said.

    http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/...case_168666185

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    Trial date set for Curtis Reeves 6 years after movie theater shooting

    ABC Action News

    PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — More than six years after a deadly shooting in a Wesley Chapel movie theater, a trial date for the man accused has been set.

    Retired police captain Curtis Reeves, 76, is accused of shooting Chad Oulson, 43, in 2014. Detectives say an argument took place in the theater because Oulson was texting. Reeves claims he was in fear for his life during the shooting.

    Reeves was charged with second-degree murder after the shooting and attempted to use Florida's controversial stand your ground defense, but it was denied by a judge in 2017. However, that was before the burden of proof was shifted from defendant to the state, forcing prosecutors to disprove a self-defense claim before a jury trial.

    Thursday morning a judge set an October 5 trial date for Reeves.

    The trial was put on hold as the Florida Supreme Court decided on the issue. In December, they decided the changes to the law did not apply retroactively.

    https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/r...eater-shooting

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    Former officer's theater-shooting trial now set for February 2022

    By Fox 13 News Staff

    TAMPA, Fla. - A judge has set a tentative trial date for retired Tampa police officer Curtis Reeves. He's accused of shooting and killing a man in 2014 at a Wesley Chapel movie theater.

    Yesterday, the judge set Reeves’ new trial date for February of 2022.

    Reeves was not present for the remote hearing. He's been out of jail on bond, with an ankle monitor, since the 2014 shooting.

    His trial was originally scheduled for October of 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic.

    https://www.fox13news.com/news/forme...-february-2022

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    Curtis Reeves, retired police captain who fatally shot man in movie theater, acquitted

    By Maria Cartaya and Dakin Andone
    CNN

    A Florida jury acquitted retired Florida police captain Curtis Reeves in the shooting death of a man in a movie theater eight years ago.

    Reeves was accused of second-degree murder and aggravated battery in the 2014 killing of 43-year-old Chad Oulson, who was on a movie date with his wife.

    Reeves pleaded not guilty and claimed self-defense, previously telling authorities he feared he would be attacked after he and Oulson got into an argument. The argument started after Oulson sent a text message to his young daughter's babysitter during previews and Reeves told him to put his phone away, authorities previously said.

    Oulson's wife was injured in the shooting but survived.

    Jurors began deliberating Friday evening, following a nine-day trial, which Oulson's widow had hoped would end in guilty verdicts.

    "Nobody is ever above the law," state prosecutor Scott Rosenwasser said during his closing arguments. "(Reeves) killed another human being in a crowded movie theater next to his wife for no reason."

    Defense attorney Richard Escobar urged jurors to put themselves in Reeves' shoes at the time of the incident -- he was 71 years old then -- and the perceived threat he believed existed, calling Reeves a "decorated law enforcement officer who had countless hours of training in the use of force, in the assessment of danger, and the risks that take place when we are faced with a dangerous encounter."

    The case garnered widespread attention at the time of the killing, partly because of Reeves' self-defense claim under Florida's "stand your ground" law, a claim which was ultimately denied by a judge.

    The trial's eight-year delay came as a result of various motions, pretrial hearings and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to CNN affiliate WFTS. TJ Grimaldi, an attorney for Oulson's wife, called the delays embarrassing, saying they allowed Reeves to continue to "be at home with his loved ones and spend time with his family."

    Reeves claimed he shot Oulson in self-defense when the two got into an argument over Oulson texting -- his wife said he was messaging their daughter's babysitter -- during a screening of "Lone Survivor" in a Wesley Chapel movie theater outside Tampa.

    Reeves confronted Oulson about texting during the previews before the movie, according to a criminal complaint.

    Eventually the two got into an argument, and Oulson threw a bag of popcorn at Reeves, who then took out a handgun and fired, hitting Oulson in the chest, according to the complaint.

    Oulson was taken to a hospital, where he died. His wife was shot in the hand.

    Reeves told authorities he was "in fear of being attacked," according to the complaint. He and his attorneys have argued Oulson threw a cellphone at Reeves' head and was aggressively leaning over a chair toward him when the shooting occurred. Prosecutors have said popcorn is not a weapon and added witnesses did not report seeing Oulson throwing his cellphone.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn...ons/index.html

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    Note to self - never text in a movie theatre
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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