More details are coming to light in the story of the man who was shot and killed at a screening of Lone Survivor yesterday, and pretty much all of them make the story seem even worse. 71-year-old Curtis Reeves Jr. shot 43-year-old Chad Oulson once in the chest at the Cinebistro 16, an upscale theater where you can order a bone-in porkchop with your movie. The disagreement began over Oulson’s texting (Oulson was sitting in front of Reeves). But it wasn’t even texting during the movie (never okay), it was texting during the previews (arguably okay).
[Witness Charles] Cummings said the man in the back row — later identified as Reeves — got up and left the auditorium, presumably to get a manager [after arguing with Oulson about texting]. But he came back after a few minutes, without a manager and appearing upset. Moments later, the argument between the two men resumed, and the man in the front row stood up.
Officials said Oulson asked Reeves if he reported him to management for using his phone.
Cummings said the men started raising their voices and popcorn was thrown. Authorities said Reeves took out a gun, and Oulson’s wife put her hand over her husband, and that’s when Reeves fired his weapon, striking Nichole Oulson in the hand and her husband in the chest.
Cummings, who said he was a combat Marine in Vietnam, said Oulson fell onto him and his son.
“Blood started coming out of his mouth,” said Alex Cummings. “It was just a very bad scene.”
Charles Cummings said his son went to call 911, while Cummings and another patron who claimed to a nurse began performing CPR on the victim.
A man sitting next to the shooter grabbed the gun out of his hand, and the suspect did not attempt to get away, Cummings said. [BradentonHerald]
According to his Facebook page, the victim, Oulson, worked at Sky Powersports and lived in Land O’ Lakes with his wife and three-year-old daughter (who he’d said he was texting before he was shot). The killer, meanwhile, was a retired police captain.
Reeves, 71, retired from the Tampa Police Department in 1993 as a captain, according to Tampa police. Reeves was instrumental in establishing the department’s first Tactical Response Team, police said. His son, Mathew Reeves, is now a Tampa police officer and has been with the department since 2003.
After retiring from the police department, Curtis Reeves worked at Busch Gardens until 2005 as the Director of Security, according to Busch Gardens Tampa, but no further information was available about his employment with the park. […]
Reeves is charged with 2nd degree murder. He’s being held at the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center. [ABCActionNews]
Hey, maybe you shouldn’t get to carry a concealed weapon 20 years after you retire. Or hey, maybe everyone should have to check their cell phones before they can sit down to watch the movie. Or better yet, everyone has to check their guns.