Retired Policeman shoots and kills a man at a movie theater in Florida over texting / noise

reply to post by buster2010


No I didn't watch the video. I read the article linked in the OP. So this guy just decided to go to the movies (with his wife) and kill someone? That makes no sense. I think when this gets to court he'll have a bit better story than that. His defense will be self-defense.

reply to post by Urantia1111


When he goes to court, it will be shown that the ex-cop was the aggressor from the beginning. That he decided to kill this young father is completely inexcusable.

If the prosecution were to go for the death penalty, I bet he would get it.

If there is such a place as hell, this old bugger deserves to go there.

Urantia1111
reply to post by buster2010

 

No I didn't watch the video. I read the article linked in the OP. So this guy just decided to go to the movies (with his wife) and kill someone? That makes no sense. I think when this gets to court he'll have a bit better story than that. His defense will be self-defense.

the only physical altercation involved the throwing of popcorn
he wasnt struck or pushed or anything of that nature...... i can not imagine how he could possibly argue self defense
then again this is florida where you can claim self defense if you simply feel threatened regardless of whether a threat is real or imagined

I may have missed something here, but why was the father sending a text message to his THREE YEAR OLD daughter?
Who has a personal phone at that age and how can one even understand how to use any at such a young age?

reply to post by Casuwall

He was texting his 3 yr olds babysitter to see how she was doing...
www.cnn.com...
Police said Tuesday that Oulson was texting the daughter's babysitter.

Double post*

Sure I feel bad that the little girl has to grow up without her biological daddy, but maybe she'll get a step one with enough sense and respect for others that he wont have confrontations.

One has to wonder how much crap this retired cop got away with before he turned in his badge. Had it not been such a freak shooting that the media clings onto he probably wouldn't even be arrested or charged. We all know most procecutors don't try very hard for convictions of LEO'a active or retired.

reply to post by Casuwall


It was his daughters nanny he was texting, or perhaps using his nanny to relay to his daughter.

I'm actually really disgusted with some of the members on ats justifying this mans actions and saying it's ok and they understand why he did it.

NOBODY deserves to get shot over texting in a movie during the flipping previews! Sure it annoys me when I see people constantly texting at a dinner table or on the road but I would never pull out my gun and shoot them!

I'm ashamed of my fellow Americans sometimes and think you should go through serious mental evaluation before trying to purchase a firearm.

Trubl
I'm actually really disgusted with some of the members on ats justifying this mans actions and saying it's ok and they understand why he did it.

NOBODY deserves to get shot over texting in a movie during the flipping previews! Sure it annoys me when I see people constantly texting at a dinner table or on the road but I would never pull out my gun and shoot them!

I'm ashamed of my fellow Americans sometimes and think you should go through serious mental evaluation before trying to purchase a firearm.

I doubt that the retired police officer will be able to justify "imminent fear of life or limb" and will hopefully go to prison. Unless some new information comes up, I can't see this as being a justified shooting.

I'm truly flabber-gasted!!!

Everyone assumes that the guy got shot because he was texting...I SERIOUSLY doubt he was pressing buttons on his phone, while the other guy was pulling the trigger!!!

No! The texting was just a pre-cursor to the argument that ensued, leading the dead guy to "attack" the old guy with a gun.
The dead guy was OBVIOUSLY the aggressor, because his wife was shot in the hand, while trying to pull/hold him back from going after the old guy with a gun! If the old guy with a gun can articulate his fear of imminent bodily harm, from the previously alive guy, and the evidence supports his claim, he will walk...The popcorn, is evidence that supports the dead guy's aggressive behavior.

Think about it!

reply to post by GoOfYFoOt

"The old guy", a retired police captain - should know very well how to articulate his "fear of imminent bodily harm" to justify self defense, were that the case... and if he had done so to the satisfaction of the officers at the scene, he would not have been immediately arrested and charged with second degree murder (at least, not until the DA had a chanced to review) though he was, therefore he did not adequately address that issue of "imminent threat" at the scene. Doesn't pass the sniff test... I wonder if it was the popcorn being thrown at him (from where that came from, no one seems to know) that was the last straw?

reply to post by LadySkadi


You can thank the whole Zimmerman fiasco I think. I bet now policy has been tightened bigtime, to make sure the "mobs are appeased". Make the arrest right away, worry about investigating later. Can't have the public upset and bashing them for wanting to investigate properly before making an arrest. Like always though, we are only hearing one agenda distorted side of the story, it might actually turn out the guy who was shot actually put his hands on the shooter before he was shot.

reply to post by TKDRL

I still don't buy it even if the cops in FL are on a tighter leash because of fallout from the Zimmerman case. I would buy being taken in for questioning (if he had been able to properly articulate his fear of imminent harm) but that's not what happened. You are right however, we certainly don't know everything yet and there is more to come... I'm not jumping to a conclusion, there are still a lot of questions.

reply to post by LadySkadi


Zimmerman was taken in for questioning the same night, that wasn't good enough. If policy were to have changed to keep up PR appearances, it would have to be charge first, figure it out later. People were angry he wasn't charged right away, that was what the uproar was about.

Of course I am not saying I think he was justified. I have no idea what happened, other than what is being reported. And given the way they have been "reporting" lies about every single case I have followed, I can't really trust what they say. To get to the bottom of anything these days, you have to be an investigator yourself lol. The days of honest investigative reporting are long gone it seems. It's sad.

reply to post by Trubl


I don't think there's justification for whatever confrontation that resulted in gunfire. You never know what's going to set people off, but telling everyone who drove to the theater and purchased tickets to see a show screw off I can annoy you as I please, is one way to invite confrontations. No justification - just common sense.

This is the same type of stuff that ends up being road rage on the highways.

Every confrontation begins with some type of disrespect for others. Even if it is just not paying attention on the highway - I always try to wave and say sorry with big exaggerated movements to deescalate potential road rage when I offend someone. I see others slamming on brakes passing and being confrontational. Once and awhile you see in the msm that they crash or get shot. Nope they didn't deserve it, but they might of been able to deescalate the situation.

The bail hearing for this murderer was held yesterday. As part of the hearing, witnesses to the murder testified... here are a few quotes from the testimony:

Mark Douglas Turner -- who spent 27 years in the Air Force, including time as a clandestine officer who worked in China -- recalled a relatively calm Oulson saying, "Do you mind, I've got a voice mail from my daughter's babysitter? Do you mind I check to see if my daughter's alright?"

According to Turner, Reeves said, "Throw popcorn in my face."

Before more authorities arrived, Reeves' wife told her husband "that was no cause to shoot anyone," according to Hamilton, the law enforcement officer who was then off-duty.

Reeves responded by pointing his finger at her and saying, according to Hamilton, "You shut your f**king mouth and don't say another word."

The off-duty corporal said that at one point, Reeves pushed back his glasses and said out loud, "Holy f**k, what have I done?"

www.cnn.com...

reply to post by LeatherNLace

Thanks for the update!

I am glad to hear that there are witnesses willing to testify. No small feat when an ex-cop is the defendant.

reply to post by poet1b


I agree with you.

However my understanding is the ex-cop has been charged with 2nd degree Murder which means the death penalty is off the table. I have not been following this case so I do not know the facts, but I do remember reading he went to his vehicle to get his gun and then came back, if true that should be enough for first degree murder charges.

It is sad that this guy will likely escape the full weight of justice. Had it been anyone else pulling the trigger I feel like it would be a slam-dunk first degree murder case.

LeatherNLace
The bail hearing for this murderer was held yesterday. As part of the hearing, witnesses to the murder testified... here are a few quotes from the testimony:

Mark Douglas Turner -- who spent 27 years in the Air Force, including time as a clandestine officer who worked in China -- recalled a relatively calm Oulson saying, "Do you mind, I've got a voice mail from my daughter's babysitter? Do you mind I check to see if my daughter's alright?"

According to Turner, Reeves said, "Throw popcorn in my face."

Before more authorities arrived, Reeves' wife told her husband "that was no cause to shoot anyone," according to Hamilton, the law enforcement officer who was then off-duty.

Reeves responded by pointing his finger at her and saying, according to Hamilton, "You shut your f**king mouth and don't say another word."

The off-duty corporal said that at one point, Reeves pushed back his glasses and said out loud, "Holy f**k, what have I done?"

www.cnn.com...

the problem is people like this feel the need to settle even the smallest confrontation with a gun. the cop could have found any employee of the movie theater and told them what was going on it didn't have to be a manager. why would someone lose their temper over someone using a cell phone during the previews??

this case does remind me of the zimmerman case, a guy tries to reprimand another person for a trivial reason and when the person stands their ground he gets shot.