Slashdot Mirror
Man Shot To Death For Texting During Movie
An anonymous reader writes "The New York Times reports that an argument over texting ended in a cellphone user's death when a retired police officer in the audience shot him in a theater near Tampa, Florida on Monday. The report notes that 'cinema executives acknowledged during a trade conference last year that they debated whether to accommodate younger viewers by allowing text messages during some movies.'"
'nough said
Justifiable Homicide.
Gun regulation argument shitstorm in 3-2-1...
Seriously guys, it's a fucking paywalled site.
There's plenty of new sites which have this story which aren't bloody well paywalled.
Or, is Dice getting a kickback for directing traffic there?
Cell phones or guns: take your pick.
Texter gets what he deserves vs. more cop brutality. My brain can't handle it.
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
This has been on CNN for a couple days now... This was breaking news... Why is this news for nerds? Slashdot always more out of touch with its roots
If a fight broke out in a british cinema, there'd be a punch-up, the police would be called and someone would be spending the night in the cells. In America you get shot. Thank fuck i'm british.
DICE OWNS SLASHDOT
Cellphones during the movie was debated, but WEAPONS not?
He was texting during the previews, which, unless things have gotten even worse, do not constitute "the movie". Get your headlines right.
Guns don't cause shitstorms...
So says the guy that doesn't even have enough balls to post under his username on an internet site.
No regulation needed. Just arm all cinema-goers.
Note that the title is wrong -- he was shot for texting during the previews, not during the movie itself.
People cause shitstorms.
Left MS Windows for Linux Mint and never looked back!
Vote for Bernie in 2016!
Wow, Patrick Corcoran, a spokesman for the National Association of Theater Owners, did you just shit on the guy who was texting, and not the piece of shit (ex-cop, no surprise) who shot him?
He was texting his 3 year old daughter during the movie PREVIEW, and this is your public comment? To chide people for texting in a theater?
Firstly, the guy lost his s**t during the previews? Really? Not that shooting someone in the middle of a movie is more sane, but flipping out in general during the previews is silly.
That being said, I always turn off my volume AND vibrate off into the theater building and while the commercials (and eventually) previews come on I might do some quick texting of "At a movie until xPM" No actual conversations, mostly "Don't bother me for the next 2 hours" in case I was in a conversation with them earlier or they're expecting to see me later.
Or maybe just do some final quick browsing to see the run-time.
Then again, my theater is setup for dine-in viewing. So the seats are huge and you can't see what the person in front of you is doing anyway... even if their screen is bright so at most I'd annoy one of the 4 people in my grouping. Between waiters walking around and stuff the previews aren't exactly silent but once the movie starts getting closer I put my phone away. At most I'd be on for like 3 minutes during the previews while the waiter's taking my row's order.
He was shot as result of an altercation that started over his use of a cellphone.
I don't know if the shooter ever felt that his life was in danger or not but that will likely be his defense. In any case this is another instance where a simple argument turns into a murder because somebody was carrying a gun and either panicked or allowed their anger to get the better of them.
In English: shot dead. "Shot to death" implies a long and lingering shooting, with many small bullets that cause you to gradually lose your grasp on life.
Or maybe they both stood their ground.
Or something.
And this is what we want, right?
Half the country in the morgue, and the other half in prison, because, because...stand your ground!
Or something...
So says the guy that doesn't even have enough balls to post under his username on an internet site.
Sounds like a case of senile agitation but with a gun, it doesn't help that police are always taught to kill instead of maim.
What, that if we do something you don't like you'll shoot us? Well, what ever you do, don't feed the pigeons.
Wanna buy a shirt?
https://www.redbubble.com/people/stealthfinger/shop?asc=u
Of course the summary is wrong and the trolls are already celebrating the shooter.
1) The texter was not young.
2) The movie had not started. It was during the previews.
3) If you read the actual news story you'd learn that the texter was not sending a text at the time of the shooting. In fact the texter told the shooter that he was texting his daughter to check on her before the movie started. The shooter got his feelings hurt and walked out of the theater, got his gun and returned to murder the man and injure his wife who was standing next to him.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
So says the other guy without enough balls.
Come on, next AC, don't let me down.
Many people bought a ticket for whatever movie just to see the preview.
I do think killing is a bit excessive but do your texting outside. And I am fairly certain we will hear over the coming days the couple involved was being obnoxious in other ways as well.
Yes, that was the joke. Good job.
I call BS, and I would be bet the person who got shot was more at fault than the media is letting on.
he died doing what he loved. He will not be missed.
A 'singular oddity' is an event that cannot be explained and only happens when you are alone.
No regulation needed. Just arm all cinema-goers.
Better throw in a handgrenade or two... More fun and a lot cheaper!
Sounds like a familiar scenario from Heinlein's "Beyond this Horizon", where someone gets plugged in a restaurant for accidentally dropping some food on another restaurant patron. And in general civility is maintained by dueling as necessary.
Shouldn't have shot the guy, of course, but have to say when I see the bright glow of cell phones during a movie I wonder why I'm in the theater rather than watching in the comfort of my own home...
A bit excessive? You are a sick pup.
The retired cop went out to his car and returned, I wager he is going to get charged with second degree murder as there seems to be some premeditation involved.
So says the guy that doesn't even have enough balls to post anonymously on an internet site.
-anonymous
CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
There's a movie called "God Bless America!". Check it out. They have a scene similar to this.
This was a retired cop. Police in America are privileged to wield guns whereever and whenever basically. And truth be told, law officers have a far poorer record than concealed carry permit holders.
No, Slashdot is an American centric news site. Most things posted that are gun or social issue related are about issues in the U.S.
But I hope this does spark debate on the perversity of attempting to disarm John Q. Public, defender of himself and others and hunter of pest animals but arming Officer Overreaction and Pvt. Soldier of Fortune with anti materiel rifles and a trained disdain for civilians.
Or the moral panicks to ban semi-automatic hunting/sporting rifles (competitive shooting) despite them being used in single digit percentages of gun violence in comparison to much more dangerous weapons like small caliber/low capacity handguns.
while(1) attack(People.Sandy);
And this was flagged down...why?
Even in NYC, retired cops can get a license to carry.
He went out to his car and retrieved his firearm. The question will be asked, if you were concerned for your safety....why did you return to the theater?
How many other annoying habits deserve the death penalty, and how many do you exhibit?
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
Yes, because shooting a 43 year old man and his wife is totally an appropriate response if one of them sends texts during a movie.
I mean, since he was retired, the shooter would've paid around $10 for the privilege of being in that cinema. So he's entitled to shoot anyone who slightly annoys him during that time. Especially considering it was a Mark Wahlberg movie.
That was sarcasm. But this isn't: You are an idiot.
You can never know everything, and part of what you do know will always be wrong. Perhaps even the most important part.
Retired cop means age > 65 means Baby Boomer. How refreshing it would be if insane Boomers with guns would direct their ire at people who really deserve it, like Wall Street bankers and their pals in the 1%. Then they could at least perform a public service in their dotage, rather than just being dicks to the rest of us in the 99%.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
This would be one gun regulation shitstorm I'd favor.
Cops can't be trusted with guns.
"What, that if we do something you don't like you'll shoot us?"
Not me, but someone might. Think before you annoy others is the lesson here.
...I rarely go to the movies anymore. People don't know how to behave. Granted, I'm not about to shoot someone for texting, but there's a part of me that would love to ram that phone down their throat. And then there's the morons 3 rows ahead yelling obscenities at the screen, or the idiots a row behind who talk to each other during the entire movie.
The price of admission just really isn't worth it anymore. You pays your money, ya takes your chances.
Many people bought a ticket for whatever movie just to see the preview.
That was 1998. Movie trailers are all on Youtube now.
Everything is better with chainsaws.
The "International Media" seems to think that every other country in the world is fascinated by US domestic news.
Couldn't give a fuck myself.
More importantly, I hope this sends a message to people carrying firearms - don't escalate to lethal force over minor annoyances.
Yeah, we should shoot all the assholes watching the previews while we wait 30 minutes for the movie to start.
Yes, because shooting a 43 year old man and his wife is totally an appropriate response if one of them sends texts during a movie.
Apparently it was before the movie even. That old cop really wanted to be able to concentrate on the ads.
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
I say give the retired cop a commendation and Public Service Award.
Yes, because ending a human life is perfectly justified if it means you can watch your fucking movie in peace. After all, it's like they always say, "So long as it doesn't happen to me!"
Next up, we learn that genocide is a reasonable way to beat morning rush hour traffic, mass extinction is well worth it to ensure your favorite variety of donut is never sold out, and the collapse of the universe is understandable if you embarrassed yourself in front of the boss at the office holiday party.
Only the military and police should have guns!
more like a case of old crazy guy still clinging to bringing his gun everywhere - for you know "protection" (dick enhancer, so he would have the balls to argue with some random dude at the movies during the fucking advertisements - for texting).
now if someone had shot him for bringing the gun up...
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ex-police-officer-curtis-reeves-shoots-dead-chad-oulson-texting-cinema-1432197
This way you can decide guilt and innocence based solely on physical appearance like Reddit does.
Sig. Sig. Sputnik
A 'more polite society' indeed.
Someone needs to look up the definition of the word "irony".
Parents on a night out to relax together, notably not bringing their children to the theater with them (would that also have drawn this bastards ire?) sent one last text to their child at home before the PREVIEWS ended and the movie began. Lets drop the *golf clap* and other snide remarks praising a murderer that destroyed a family.
I take this one pretty personally for multiple reasons: My wife and I love to go see a movie to relax and unwind while the kids stay home with a baby sitter, and only 2 years ago we lived in Wesley Chapel and that was our movie theater. It's a suburban neighborhood with good families and lots of kids go see movies there, though I'm sure from some of the comments here that teenagers who rarely exercise good judgement should be fair game for psychotic always-armed "I can shoot who I want because I'm a cop" murderers. I wish we could bring back the Roman execution styles and throw this son of a whore from a high cliff.
On the petty and barely relevant question of texting during a movie, I would never take my phone out of my pocket during the movie, and always take the previews as my cue to put it away in the first place, but wouldn't expect trouble if I used the previews to send one last text to my kids. That really doesn't seem like it's taking your life in your hands, but these days it's hard to tell.
I don't get the joke. Colonial rebels? The U.S.A. is rebelling? I missed something.
Regulation probably would not have helped. The shooter is a retired cop. Almost every jurisdiction with gun restrictions makes exceptions for active duty and retired cops.
Does anyone else not notice that retired LEOs are more exempt from background checks on purchasing weapons and can more easily legally obtain otherwise unattainable items for the rest of the law abiding citizens without jumping through extra hoops like the rest of us (Class 3, Automatics, Suppressors), and most of them can Concealed Carry after retirement regardless of whether the state allows civilians to do so, even permitted?
If the gun control lobbyists use this story, they will definitely omit facts (he was a retired police officer) and not mention things like the above.
what do you think the 2nd amendment was for?
I know its only one example, but it supports my personal theory that US cops are programmed by their job to think that you can fix every problem with a gun, and that they are arrogant enough to think that shooting people is always OK if you are (or maybe ever were) a cop.
The texter was very much in the wrong too though. Every movie I've ever been to includes at least one info-trailer to let people know that phoning and texting are not OK in the theater. For all you saying it was 'only' during the previews, the trailer never says anything about "only during the main movie". And what about people who enjoy watching the previews?
>> "The man using the phone explained to the irritated man that he was simply texting his 3-year-old daughter"
This made me laugh as it so represents the apparent socialised blame culture in the US...like somehow the age/gender/personal relationship of the recipient is somehow now a justifiable reason for why everyone should put up with his selfishness. ..and what kind of parent gives their 3 year old kid a cellphone anyway?
I RTFA, and my understanding is while the argument started with the cellphone, there was a tub of popcorn thrown (and possibly fists?) that resulted in the shooting. It escalated badly, but I don't think it's the same thing as someone texting, so ol' copper just shoots him.
i am pretty sure it was well known before this that shooting someone typically gets you in trouble
The report I saw said previews -- which are liked by many.
I raise hell if anybody so much as makes a peep during the commercials. I'll be damned if I'm going to miss an opportunity to spend wisely. And don't even set foot in the room if I'm watching an info-mercial. Just wait quietly outside until it's over, and then I'll be happy to discuss whatever's on your mind.
This obviously wasn't a good guy or he wouldn't have shot this man.
I find more reasons to just up and leave the USA. This culture totally sucks.
Many people bought a ticket for whatever movie just to see the preview.
I do think killing is a bit excessive but do your texting outside.
If it's the previews, they've already shown the cell phone commercials to tell you to put the thing away or go outside. This doesn't justify the shooting, but probably a 43 year old assaulting a 71 year old because he's pissed off that the management was informed of his violation of theater policy could be; someone a few years over half my age would probably be able to kick my ass, and the wife was injured through her hand by the shot as she had her hand on the husbands chest attempting to restrain him, so it's likely that he's done this sort of flying off the handle before.
And I am fairly certain we will hear over the coming days the couple involved was being obnoxious in other ways as well.
I doubt that, though we may hear more about the husbands temper as third parties come forward with more information. Right now, the media is selling it as a victim story, which doesn't quite jibe with the idea that he was supposedly texting his 3 year old daughter (one has to wonder what kind of cell phone contract discount one can get for being 3 years old).
They are no different than Street gang thugs. Even retired they believe they are above the law.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Before the usual suspects all start yelling at each other about texting in theaters, I'd like to point out that according to several accounts, the movie had not yet started.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Someone seems to have forgotten.
So it's illegal to bring a camera into a movie theatre, but not a gun? Interesting. And when did it become *illegal* to text or answer the phone during a movie? Last I checked, it never was.
Please post your address so I can have an officer come over and shoot you. You welcome it from what I can tell.
I've seen at least one report that indicated that the person shot got up, threw popcorn at the shooter, then pulled a gun himself at which time he was shot.
Until there's more details out there, to my viewpoint in the upper Midwest this is more a "Jerry Springer Show" scenario going too far and less a "killed him for texting" situation.
fencepost
just a little off
Oblig. homestarrunner link: the movies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb7XlUoEKtE
1.) quite a few, IMO
2.) none...I make it a habit to live by the 'Golden Rule', and it seems to have worked quite nicely over the long run.
Yes, I am arrogant, and have a large ego. But in the (paraphrased) words of Kid Rock: "They say I'm bragging, but I say: What?
It ain't bragging motherfucker, if you can back it up!"
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
i dont understand the general animosity about texting here... then again i dont throw my money away on pointless group movie viewing activities that pretty much guarantee a poor experience no matter what.. so....
The report I saw said previews -- which are liked by many.
So that gave him probable cause???
Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
Right...because a three year old will totally understand why the texting suddenly stops when the movie begins. Not.
No sig today...
If it were here with Brazilian people routinely having lengthy conversations with a very loud voice in the middle of the movies, I guess the guy would bring a bazooka, hire a bomb man, or Steven Seagal...
Just keep your phone on silent mode. Common sense, people. Why would anyone get upset? I can understand not wanting people to talk, and not wanting to hear people's stupid ringtones, but that's why you keep it on silent mode and step outside if you need to take a call.
Murderous, racist, hate-filled red-necks that fled Tampa to escape the spread of "Urban Culture" (ie, those filthy blacks and Cubans) and now sit grumbling in decaying neighborhoods abandoned by the housing crash.
The guy was a time bomb.
As disturbing as the original report is, I fear for the future after reading some of the comments. Kill someone because they are bothering you? What kind of a world is that? I realize that people say things on forums they would not say in real life, but this is inhuman.
Please think before commenting!
We (think we) know how to stand our fucking ground.
The difference between truth and fiction is that fiction has to be plausible.
I think this is an excellent argument for why the average citizen should be armed. We have LEOs and former LEOs going around acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Have we already forgot the BART station execution? If this murderer pulled out a gun, other CCW permit holders would be justified in acting in self defense for the texter, up to and including justifiably killing the murderer, as he brandished a deadly weapon. What should have happened is the murderer getting shot, and the texter getting to go home to his daughter. The murderer can't claim self defense because he LEFT and CAME BACK. This was a premeditated homocide.
Why?
BECAUSE DEATH IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE PUNISHMENT for beating someone with your fists.
Or is this shitstain of an ex-cop deserving of a three-day torture fair for his shooting a man and his wife? After all, if doing something some people don't like is worth doing something 100x worse to them...
?? IT'S LIKE YELLING
Regulation probably would not have helped. The shooter is a retired cop. Almost every jurisdiction with gun restrictions makes exceptions for active duty and retired cops.
What kind of logic is that? It's like claiming that capitalism doesn't work because everything when to shit when Russia transitioned away from communism.
Of course regulation would have helped. If there was proper regulation in place it would be illegal to bring a gun to a crowded theater regardless of previous occupation.
You'd be afraid for you life if you were hit by popcorn? Being assaulted by popcorn warrants deadly force?! Is that what you are saying?!
I lived in FL and I can tell you that some of these old people have screws loose. I watched some old guy walk up to a McDonald's manager and get into it with him over the price of a double cheeseburger and saying that "it's mathematically impossible!" for it to cost less than a quarter pounder or something or another. The old guy was just going off and finally the manager had to order the old guy out of the restaurant with threats of calling the police.
IF the guy was texting during the previews, WTF was the old guy's problem?! The ex-cop couldn't just leave it alone when the guy said that he was checking on his daughter?
The old guy starts it - probably wanting to feel like a big shot cop or something - the younger guy is trying to get this crazy old guy away from him.
The way I see, the old started it and finished it by killing the guy.
The old guy - retied COP - should have known better and as an ex-PROFESSIONAL, he should have known how to handle the situation without firing a shot.
Regardless of what really happened, the ex-cop is clearly the one in the wrong and he was on some power trip and I hope the widow get the ex-cops pension, house, and everything else that the psycho owns.
If you believe that texting during a movie in a theater merits an instant death penalty than you area total asshole. Don't forget to shoot yourself when you fuck up sometime soon.
Correct, because I cause shitstorms, usually after some delicious Thai food.
But the message is clear.. We HATE people texting/using mobile phones during movies.. If you want to use your device, just do not go to the movies.. It's so distracting if someone pulls out their phone and turns it on, it lights up the whole place... Reading the original article, it was during the previews/ads, well then I don't really mind, but mostly I see people during the movie itself, and that just got to stop... Is it so hard to just leave the freaking device off for 2-3 hours... People are just too freaking addicted to their cellphones.. I'm all for a complete signal blackout when the movie starts. And any chain considering allowing texting/use of cellphones during movies is one I'll just skip..
And him? Torture him, his family and his friends.
If you don't want to have your friends and family tortured for shooting your gun LEAVE THE FUCKING CINEMA.
Or maybe, just maybe, some psychotic mobster will decide to exercise his techniques for extending the life of his subjects.
"I'll have a super size popcorn, a mega gulp... Honey, do you want anything more for the movie? No? OK... and a high fire-rate, automatic pistol to go. Thank you. You can keep the change."
Well, I think being arrogant is worthy of the death penalty, and who's to say your opinion is any more valuable than mine? Or are you so self absorbed, you think yours is the only opinion worth considering?
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
See references:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/jun/07/cinema-filmgoer-thrown-out-texting-alamo/
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/movie-theater-kicks-customer-texting-195400/
In this age of decreasing levels of common decency, and manners in public places, (theaters being nearly the antithesis of private) people still feel they have a false sense of entitlement to do rude things without consequences.
Not play down that someone DIED here, but that level of offense is going to get more common as the texters drain what enjoyment might be left in going for a Big Screen Experience.
I still remember when they first banned cigarettes in theaters, and how terribly offended people were on both sides of the ban.
Maybe, I'm just getting Old and Cranky... Good thing I'm Canadian, and guns are nowhere near as available to us up here.
I was wondering if it was in my state (Arizona) or Florida. Sadly, yes, it is that predictable
Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress
So says the guy that doesn't even have enough balls to post under his username on an internet site.
Username? What's that? It that one of those things that you hide behind when you don't want people to know who you really are?
You sir, deserve to be shot to death. And I'm surprised the waiter has survived for any period of time.
This is appaling. A true gentleman would use a sword to as not to disturb other patrons with the loud report of the gunshot.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
"They say I'm bragging, but I say: What? It ain't bragging motherfucker, if you can back it up!"
It's also worthy of your summary execution. Don't like it? Don't brag.
I'm annoyed when the person I'm with opens his cellphone, even during previews. I tell them to put the dam thing away. Not everyone sits at their computer looking for movie previews to watch, so I don't know what movies are coming out. Shooting him was a bit drastic, but people need to be considerate in a dark theater and not use their cell phones.
"they debated whether to accommodate younger viewers by allowing text messages during some movies." What? "accommodate"? They make it sound like they HAVE to text. Maybe provide a blanket to cover there head cell phone if they have to use it. Many text while driving, so perhaps texting IS a life or death activity.
You're all such level headed fellahs. I know this gun thing isnt going to go away, so why dont you guys just round em all up for me. I trust you.
Florida
Apparently there's not only a "stand your ground" law but also a "Sit Your Ground" law in effect here.
Plus I heard someone threw popcorn at someone else, and if I recall my Monty Python training correctly, first you eat the popcorn,thus disarming him, then you shoot him.
https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
In every movie I've seen police officers always get killed two days before retirement.
Your post is wrong. Reeves, the shooter, left the theater to talk to a manager, not to get his gun.
There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
NYPA
What a fucking shithole you have become. ...and no, I'm afraid even Canada does not compare when it comes your new overlords(the pigs).
You better learn to kneel and bob you faggot loving sacks of shit. YOU'VE EARNED IT!!! (priorities people! lol.....)
Yeah, just keep shining up those guns, you can stick them in the same box as your pokemon cards where they will collect dust but keep your imaginary penises inflated. Hey, I hear that ditch pig slut Kardashian is going to eat FIVE Big Macs in ONE BREATH tomorrow and then blow a whole bus of senior citizens!! Stay Tuned!
I wonder if there has ever been bigger failure than Americans, oh wait, I actually know some history.....nope there has not. But hey! You go right on telling the rest of the world how to live, because you are CLEARLY masters at doing "the right thing" and we all believe in you........
lol.
mildly inconvenience me and I WILL KILL YOU!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Canadian Cineplex allows us to play games on our cell phones on the big screen before the movie starts.
http://www.cineplex.com/Promos/Timeplay
Canada also has gun laws unlike the U.S.
Goes to show you they quality of person that becomes a florida cop.
You should also post addresses of all the movie theater texters, or is there some agenda here?
So says the guy who thinks he's anonymous on an internet site.
Clearly, the problem is they didn't have more good guys with guns nearby.
(Am I doin gun lobbyin right? I dont know, Im in one of those silly european countries where people don't bring FUCKING GUNS TO MOVIE THEATRES)
Sol System/Planet Designate 11340 (Local Name: Earth) Political/Religious sector: United States of America Attn: Regional incident review director, Xenobiology sector 998 Event Status Report Incident 998754 - 2014-01-13 Theater shooting, Local Sector Name: Tampa Florida Discharge of firearm in close quarters/enclosed space. Victims identified. Outcome analysis: Direct impact: 1 male, deceased. 1 female, injured 1 male, detained 1 misc number of subjects within range of event Local Sector has laws which allow the use of firearms without concern for outcome (Locally called "Stand your ground"). Evidence of use can be seen via report 99827. Ancillary impacts: Prior evidence suggests long term impacts to immediate family of both victim and attacker can result in propagation of undesired outcomes. Basic human therapy will be performed but ruled minimally effective. We can also assume, based on prior events, the event will be utilized by the two main controlling religious parties in the sector to reinforce their control. As always, actions by the two groups will ensure continued such events to allow for propagation of converts based on ideology. Recommended actions: Continue observations. If we do not see a decrease in the number of such events, begin extraction of observers and retask to Planet Designate 112333. Categorization of Planet from Mostly Harmless to "Avoid" also recommended.
Victim was in his 40s, shooter was in his 70s. Why are we talking about "young people" again? I supposed videogames are next?
--
Stay tuned for some shock and awe coming right up after this messages!
Nobody's pointed out yet that he was *texting* his *3 year old*. Most three year olds don't know anything about the written word -- some of the brighter ones may recognize a few letters. Was he sending her Emoji? Or, as more likely, was he actually texting a message to the baby sitter to tell to his 3 year old? If so, wouldn't it make more sense to explain that he had to text his sitter?
Let's have some facts:
There is a very recent article about Reeve's appearance in court and what
There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
Perhaps this was the 71 year old shooter's way of getting room, board, 3 square meals a day, healthcare and cable TV. All of which he was unable to afford on his meager retirement benefits. ;-)
Florida Man, defender of the weak & downtrodden!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Canada also has gun laws unlike the U.S.
The U.S. has gun laws, too.
They're just order allow,deny instead of order deny,allow.
Did he at least use a silencer on the gun?
The problem with texting is that the light from the screen lights up half the fscking room.
Florida Man!
He's a pretty busy guy. Let's see some other ways he has been answering the FloridaManSignal...
- Florida Man Shoplifts Condoms, Massage Oil, Energy Drinks, Flashlight; Passed-Out Girl Found in Car.
- Lack of Food and Utensils Results in Florida Man Opening Fire at Baptism Party.
- Florida Man Kills Friend During Argument Over How to Correctly Cut Barbecue.
- Florida Man Shoots Three Roommates in Attempt to Get Best Bed.
It's pretty much business as usual for the state that brought us "Cops".
.... been black and carrying a dangerous pack of skittles, the shooter would get off with no jail time. This is Florida after all. One guy is dead, another in jail. That's two less Floridians.
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
His point is that LEOs and retired LEOs are EXEMPT from pretty much ALL of the restrictions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Enforcement_Officers_Safety_Act
... But retired cops with short fuses kill people.
Really USA, clean up your act.
This of course is turning into debates about texting and gun control, but in the end it's just a story about a loony old man who had a SEVERE overreaction to someone being an inconsiderate jerk. He will probably regret it for what remains of his life unless he has gone completely off his rocker; in which case the main debate will once again be about how to keep guns out of the hands of such people. Everyone needs to stop raving about the gun apocalypse and how America is going to hell in a handbasket. Overall gun homicides are down by half since the early 90s. Don't get me wrong; events like this are still tragic and we need to try to prevent them, but we need to stay rational and remember that knee-jerk reactions to tragedies are what gave us the Patriot Act and an out-of-control NSA. Of course this is still a politically charged topic and I will likely get flamed, so......... flame on I guess.
Cheap Mexican food causes shitstorms.
The MPAA applauded the action, and announced that, in order to curb piracy, anybody at a movie with a powered-on cell phone will henceforth be summarily shot and killed.
Prior to around 2-3 years ago in Wisconsin, the only people that could carry concealed guns were retired police officers. Thankfully now just about anyone can have one so they can defend the public against retired police officers.
I shoot that f&*9er too.
If smokers can stop themselves from leaving the theater to smoke for the duration of the movie, you sure as hell can stop yourself from playing with your phone for the duration of a movie. If you can't, GTFO.
It's a movie theater. If it's small enough, they'll remember you; if you have your ticket stub, you get right back in.
YES
But not situations in which your life and well being are not threatened.
But I hope this does spark debate on the perversity of attempting to disarm John Q. Public, defender of himself and others and hunter of pest animals but arming Officer Overreaction and Pvt. Soldier of Fortune with anti materiel rifles and a trained disdain for civilians.
This. Every day this. We like to pretend those we entrust to deploy the state's monopoly of force against ourselves are incorruptible, but the reality is that the job description attracts those who seek -- with the intent to violently use -- power.
At risk of feeding the troll:
Your racism is showing. Where we draw distinctions, we discriminate (in the broadest sense of the word). If we find ourselves faced with two entities, described in the same terms (e.g., "human"), we do not discriminate. Where we find ourselves faced with two entities, which we have chosen to differentiate between, we find ourselves discriminating. If you don't like racism, stop drawing the distinction. People are people are people, period. Purple, green, orange, black, white, Martian, Venusian, hyper-intelligent shades of blue, etc..
People are people are people, period. I suggest you read, critically, from beginning to end, Douglas Hofstadter's essay, "A Person Paper on Purity in Language" and his subsequent comments
Way to pay attention to the important part of this story, God those phones are just so annoying right?
He didn't forget. People sacrifice themselves all the time for things they believe in strongly. Good, bad, right, wrong...everyone thinks they're righteous.
You're missing the part where the "threatened" 71 year old left the theater, went to his car, retrieved the gun and then came back and shot the 43 year old. At what point was a beatdown by the 43 year old going on there?
Maybe you are not from the U.S., and you believe "left the theater" means "left the building" rather than "left the room in which the movie was being projected to talk to the management in the massive lobby". In the U.S., a movie complex is a huge thing, and "theater" describes the room with the screen in it, not the building containing the room with the screen in it. He didn't leave the building to get his gun, he had a concealed carry permit, and the gun was on him the entire time.
You really need to read more than one biases source for the story:
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/national/curtis-reeves-set-to-make-first-court-appearance-after-florida-theater-shooting
"As a male moviegoer texted, the man seated behind him objected, and asked the texter to put his phone away. ...
They argued several times, according to police and witnesses, and the man who was texting watched as the other man walked out of the theater. Curtis Reeves, a retired police officer, apparently went seeking a theater employee to complain about the texting, police said."
The man who had been texting, Chad Oulson, got up and turned to Reeves to ask him if he had gone to tell on him for his texting. Oulson reportedly said, in effect: I was just sending a message to my young daughter.
Voices were raised. Popcorn was thrown."
Assault, with implied threat of battery.
"And then came something unimaginable -- except maybe in a movie. A gunshot.
Not that unimaginable. This is just sensationalist editorializing on the part of ABC.
The shot went through the wife's hand, which is how she sustained her injury. That places her hand on Oulson's chest, which is typical if one is restraining someone, and atypical behavior for the wife, unless Oulson had exhibited similar behavior in the past.
If Reeves were a crazed nut job, he would have not sat and removed his hands from the weapon and waited for the police.
Does classic.slashdot.org redirect to beta.slashdot.org unless you click the goddamn special link?! This is bad design. It breaks user expectations.
Of course regulation would have helped. If there was proper regulation in place it would be illegal to bring a gun to a crowded theater regardless of previous occupation.
Agreed. Let's only allow guns in theaters with less than a dozen people.
That certainly changes things doesn't it!! I mean if people cant watch the movie trailers then whats the point of going to the movie. Most certainly a capital offense to interrupt those. Grow up.
Yes, let's all talk about TEXTING in this story, instead of the more obvious: "Why are there not more strict gun laws that prohibit people from bringing guns into public places?"
But no, TEXTING is the NEW DEVIL.
Born to Play
At least he didn't reload.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
This has absolutely nothing to do with gun regulation. This was a retired police officer. I don't think there's a single state in the union where retired police officers don't get special rights and privileges regarding carrying guns. As one other responder here pointed out, even in ultra anti-gun NYC, retired cops can still carry guns.
For some reason, gun control measures and proposals here in the US from the left never include cops or former cops. They always get a special pass.
...the wife was injured through her hand by the shot as she had her hand on the husbands chest attempting to restrain him, so it's likely that he's done this sort of flying off the handle before...
Well, this really demonstrates your point of view. I think if I were she, and some old crazy dude pulled a gun on my husband, my last act for my spouse would be to put my hand up... to shield him.
That's kind of heart-breaking. Your assumption makes my blood run a little cooler, though.
Can I let your balls down?
You probably would run away from any problem, you have no use for enhancement because your balls are fully retracted, and you like them that way.
Taco Bell causes shitstorms.
Step out, stay at home, or do something else.
I'm sorry for him, he didn't deserve such cruel & unusual punishment.
But people, if you want to be rude to others, maybe it's safer for you to stay home.
Yes. I have to wonder what the three-year-old daughter of the man thinks. The three-year-old daughter of the now-dead man. It's utterly shameful that this happened. Especially the way that it ended the man's life.
-- haaz.
Just because it is legal does not make it right, just like something being illegal does not necessarily make it wrong. If you can't refrain from texting during movies, wait for the DVD/BluRay to come out and text all you want, at home.
All 3 to 6 months of it.
Florida's full of old people. Fuck 'em.
In the interest of being fair and balanced, the ones that aren't old are all drug addicts.
I just got done metamoderating, I wish the above comment would have showed up. Offtopic? WTF, moderators? He was completely on topic. Overrated possibly but no way offtopic.
Me, OTOH, I'm offtopic. Pls mod me down (and the parent up).
Free Martian Whores!
It is obvious the old coot feared for his life. My god, think what would've happened if that butter and salt had made it to the arteries.
Just a luck guess. It could easily have been South Africa, or anywhere in Latin America.
US gun violence is only high by the standards of the developed world.
I know this murderer is an ex-cop so he's not going to prison but can you imagine his rep in prison for killing one of those annoying cellphone-fiddler assholes?
my point being that I should not carry a gun into a movie because I might end up shooting someone whose only crime was annoying me with their cell phone.
Instead. I use a cell-phone jammer to shut that shit down, proactively.
YMMV
The shooter was previously the head of security at Busch Gardens.
Consider this standard of behavior when next planning a trip to Florida's theme parks.
It's a chain called Alamo Drafthouse in Texas that started in Austin. I've been to a few of them. They were started when the owner and his wife became fed up on how the movie theater experience became less enjoyable over the years due to the patrons. So their theaters try to bring back an enjoyable experience for adults by doing some things differently.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
I just don't understand how the shooter thought that discharging a firearm inside a crowded movie theater was in any way going to aid in his effort to quietly watch the previews and later feature presentation.
In what possible way was shooting another patron NOT going to stop the projection, evacuate the theater and end up with the shooter at least detained if not arrested and in jail for the next few hours?
Did he really think: "Well, if I just shoot this one guy then we can get on with the rest of the film?
There must be some mental instability lurking in there somewhere: anger/rage issues, delusions, drug use, etc.
Article X: The powers not delegated... by the Constitution...are reserved...to the people
Grow up.
From what I understand, part of growing up involves being considerate of others -- not texting during their enjoyment of movies and previews
Cops statement: I believed he was terrorist about to send a text message that would detonate a bomb in the theater. Where do I pick up my CMH?
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
Hook his balls up to electrodes, and have people text messages to a special number until he dies from smoke inhalation from his burning scrotum.
That fucktard should never have been a police officer and should never have been allowed to handle a firearm.
I can't wait for the Alamo Movie Drafthouse intro that encourages patrons to not text or talk or else "Curtis Reeves will shoot your ass".
Sorry, too soon?
Throwing popcorn in someone's face is assault. If someone is willing to escalate a confrontation to violence, then the one being assaulted has the right to defend themselves. Once violence has been used, there is no way to determine how far the confrontation will escalate.
I was not there, so I don't know the details. But, as it was reported, he was shot for assaulting an senior citizen. He was not shot for texting.
Hopefully more details we be found in an investigation and trial.
To be fair that doesn't make it not about gun regulation, it just means gun regulation also has to start affecting nutjob retired cops :)
Dude, it was during the previews, not the movie. Well, maybe the latter argument was, but the texting that set the guy off in the first place was during the previews. Movie starts and people are texting, fine, get upset (but don't shoot anyone).... But before the main event starts? Deal with it!
This is mostly accurate. How is that police can argue they need access to things like modern fully-automatic weapons when non-law-enforcement citizens don't have access? Training? Anyone can receive equivalent training.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
It was during the trailers. I'm not going to get mad at anyone for texting during the trailers. Get over it!
Now **THAT** is entertainment!
"Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
Good luck with that. Apparently there's a Federal law that gives them these privileges. When was the last time you ever heard the gun-control crowd suggest stricter gun control measures for cops or ex-cops?
Glad to see that the local law enforcement is so effective.
Allow me to preface this with the statement that I ALWAYS turn off my phone when in a theater. The consensus here seems to be that the texter got what he deserved. Why didn't the shooter simply call the police to have him arrested for texting during a movie. Oh yah, he didn't break any laws. So now it's cool to shoot people simply because they annoy you (I wasn't sure to end this with a period or a question mark)? Luckily a kid wasn't sitting behind this guy kicking his chair. This asshole should be put to death with a shot to the chest. I think, as most rational people should, there is a SEVERE imbalance here between the "infraction" and the penalty. I've been pissed at something that someone was doing that ruined a some movie experience for me. Who hasn't? But holy shit, no one deserves to get killed over it. Really? Am I in the minority here?
I'll pick up the video and watch from home if for nothing more than to avoid all the people that find this acceptable/justifiable.
Remember that this guy was a retired police officer, and would be exempt from gun restrictions placed on ordinary civilians.
My post above is incorrect - I missed a "who" when I saw the witness article quoted. There's no indication that the victim did anything except (possibly) throw a bag of popcorn.
fencepost
just a little off
wat
Several years ago, I actually do remember seeing a pre-movie message at the Drafthouse from a police officer who stated with a straight face that if you talked during the movie, she would shoot you and blame it on a crackhead. It was pretty funny at the time, although it seems even more appropriate now.
Karma: Terrifying (mostly affected by atrocities you've committed)
The movie had not started, this was during the 20 minute of crap people have to sit through before the lights dim and the shut-up message comes on.
Not only that, these previews actually encourage you to SMS to a given number for info on an advertised product or movie, and tell you to do so *now* before the movie starts.
At the end of the day, an ex-cop murdered someone when they could have merely moved to another seat, complained to the manager and let them deal with it, or get a refund/comp ticket and come back another time. Yes, a highly trained and experience cop, should have known better but he was obviously a problem cop. There will be investigations into his previous and you can wager they'll find a ton of issues.
What is the point of a completely unfettered constitutional right to keep and bear arms, if you can't use them when you run into a spot of bother? Welcome to the peaceful, safe, and constitutionally protected world of the NRA.
(warning, this post may contain trace amounts of sarcasm)
Well I don't think it was during the movie, TFA mentions it was during the previews. I personally don't mind if people talk or text during previews because I didn't pay to see the previews and people are still finding their seats during previews anyways; during the movie is something else entirely though.
Careful with names containing L slashdot.org/~AiphaWolf_HK slashdot.org/~AlphaWoif_HK slashdot.org/~AiphaWoif_HK
Only in America, and apparently Canada. And maybe Chile or Argentina and a few other countries with similar, quiet sensibilities in public places.
Ever been to a theater in a black neighborhood? Or just about any theater in Europe? Shit gets loud and annoying. It's the worst.
This was definitely a clash of culture thing. The old man was from Grumpyville, and the dead guy from Douchetown. Those guys shouldn't be going to the same theater. This is what happens in the melting pot.
It seems to me that this old man thought no one has a right to defy him, and he acted just as he would have had he still been active duty in uniform. Any defiance deserves aggression and violence. Touching and tossing popcorn to his way of thinking is an assault that now allows him to respond with deadly force. No doubt that if he was still active duty this would probably have been reported as a "justifiable shooting" and witnesses would be discredited, cell phone video confiscated, etc. He just forgot for a moment that he wasn't still on the force and able to get away with murder.
Slashdot: All right, Did the shooter commit murder? The battle of wits has begun.
Me: But it's so simple. Someone shot someone else to death over an argument. So clearly he will fry for this!
Slashdot: You've made your decision, then?
Me: Not remotely. The shooter is a cop, so as a general rule he will be declared innocent and 'just doing what is right'.
Slashdot: Truly you have a dizzying intellect.
Me: Wait till I get going! Now, where was I?
Slashdot: A Cop.
Me: Yes, a cop. But he is an EX copy, so clearly he will be found guilty.
Slashdot: You're just stalling now.
Me: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? He is an ex-cop, but this is FLORIDA. As everyone knows, Florida is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people shoot each other in the movie theater, so clearly he will get off.
Slashdot: You're trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work.
Me: IT HAS WORKED! YOU'VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHAT THE VERDICT IS!
Slashdot: Then make your choice.
Me: I will, and I choose - Look! Miley Rae Cyrus is twerking!
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
You know, proportion is a good thing. Texting during movies is darned annoying, and there should be a consequence. Like, oh, I don't know, a stern "Hey, knock it off!" Or having the theater staff escort you out. There are things where being shot is an appropriate consequence, but this isn't one, and that's lucky for you (and me, and everyone else), because I promise you at one time or another, we've all done something more offensive than text in a theater.
The part I don't understand is why the retired officer felt he had to confront the patron? This is a job for management, not for mob justice. The "turn off your phones" message explicitly states (at least in our area) that management will remove patrons who violate the rules. (Which, one could argue, the patron had not yet violated, as the feature had not started.) So the retired officer could request the patron to stop texting, and then report him to the manager, and that's the end of his involvement.
We won't know all the details until after the trial, and maybe not even then, but it sounds to me, from the few articles I've read so far, that the retired officer confronted the patron, then went outside to report him to management, (*not* to "retrieve his gun from the car" -- as a retired LEO he would have had it on him) and then, not getting an immediate response from management, (probably because the feature had not started yet!) went back to the theater and confronted the patron again. I suspect this is going to look bad for him in court.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
" cinema executives acknowledged during a trade conference last year that they debated whether to accommodate younger viewers by allowing text messages during some movies"
I think the real criminals are the ones who are considering allowing texting in movie theaters during a show to appease younger viewers who cant go a few hours without texting
I'd rather shoot the projectionist for starting the previews AFTER the movie start time.
Another Florida officer named Curtis Reeves shot and killed a teenager for looting. But it couldn't be the same guy because the ages don't add up. This guy was 33 in '82, making him 64 now. By 1982 he already had two dozen complaints against him, including 8 write-ups. You'd think after the first few, he would have had some sort of actual punishment. Not exactly a squeaky clean record. Who knows, maybe it is the same guy, just a wrong age in one article or the other?
...I mean, the gross disrespect shown other patrons during movies not to mention the nearly animalistic behavior, the welfare moms bringing their 8 children down to see some R rated flick sitting right in front of me, the ridiculous prices for everything from tickets to snacks, the frequently-unfocused crappy projectors, etc.
Then I bought a 60" HD plasma and a fantastic 7.1 onkyo sound system and I don't get upset about how horrible movie theaters are any more AT ALL.
The other night I watched Lawrence of Arabia in blu-ray with my kids snuggled next to me, and I was truly in my happy place.
-Styopa
Is it wrong that I instantly channel this when I read the story?
God_Bless_America-Theatre Scene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Bless_America_(film)
It is my understanding that LEOSA only removes the requirement for a conceal carry permit. Private and State property can still prohibit the weapon from being allowed on premise. Also LOESA does not override the gun free school zone law.
These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
It's understandable that he could have got some confusing information from the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin incident.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Look I have seen *plenty* of situation where one person (sibling, friend, S.O., fatehr/son) put the hand over the arm, the chest or whatever. Those are gesture to *calm* down the person, and are in no way shape or form a restraint against a violent gesture to come. That youa re trying to use it as a justification to fear immeninent violence says more about you , and your *utter inability* to analyze a situation , than it says anything about the victim. You are the poster child on who should not be allowed to have a gun, just by the plain fact they can be misinterpreting normal social situation as imminent violence.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
Just because others need to grow up does not mean they need to be shot. It also does not mean that you don't need to grow up.
3) If you read the actual news story you'd learn that the texter was not sending a text at the time of the shooting. In fact the texter told the shooter that he was texting his daughter to check on her before the movie started. The shooter got his feelings hurt and walked out of the theater, got his gun and returned to murder the man and injure his wife who was standing next to him.
According to CNN, the 71 year old had the gun in his possession the whole time, had left to tell the theater management, the guy got pissed off for having been told on, the pissed off guy got physical with the 71 year old man by assaulting him by throwing popcorn, and was being physically restrained by his wife's hand on his chest when the 71 year old shot him (through the wife's hand; there was only a single shot).
If you are 71 years old under the threat of physical violence from a 43 year old, it's reasonable to fear for your life.
Exactly! Despite everyone's knee jerk reactions and the passion in this story, the cold hard facts don't match the rhetoric and vitriol flying about.
This case will likely end with the shooter getting off or getting off "lightly" and a whole lot more outrage will fly about. But, without any racial aspect, it shouldn't last long.
If my home had a 4K projector and a 400" screen, I'd never leave home. Youtube doesn't perform well at 4K anyway.
You're making the assumption that she was aware the old man had a handgun out.
Whether or not the post you responded to is right in the motive for her action if she had one or both hands on her husbands chest, and was shot through one, then there is a probability that she was facing her husband and not the old man and completely unaware that he had drawn the handgun.
"Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
BRING LOGIC & REASON TO A SLASHDOT DOGPILE.
How else will the snarky little twits get their cheap shots in on all their perceived villains of the world?
BTW. Has anyone blamed Bush for this yet?
Clearly you don't understand the argument then. Anyone who does something wrong with their gun is, by definition, no longer one of the good guys.
The problem is finding out that they aren't a good guy too late. This guy was a retired cop. He should have been one of the people who could be trusted with a firearm in public, but he wasn't. That calls into question whether or not anyone can really be trusted with firearms in public, as a matter of public policy.
What should the law be when it's impossible or impractical to determine whether or not someone will lash out this way? Were there warning signs about him? Should people with ill tempers be allowed to own firearms, and if not, how do you identify them reasonably? A man is dead, and a three-year old is without a father because we choose that it was more important for the shooter to be allowed to have a gun than for him not to be allowed to have one.
The gun rights groups answer to gun violence is almost always to suggest more guns. All that could have done here with short tempers and close range is make more dead people and grieving families.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Even that is probably before the lights darken and the previews start.
Previews are adverts.
If the guy had been texting during the actual movie, it's pretty antisocial, but it's still not a reason to kill him.
All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ex-police-officer-curtis-reeves-shoots-dead-chad-oulson-texting-cinema-1432197
This way you can decide guilt and innocence based solely on physical appearance like Reddit does.
Where's the black guy. I can't make a decision like this without a black guy.
You're not supposed to swallow.
cell phone is a good guy with a gun!
It's nice to see Disney and Warner Bro training you Americans so well.
Will you also roll for a little treat?
Come on, who's a little cute puppet? Cute puppet! You areee!!!
These are growing, and opening new ones in different places.
you are warned when you buy the ticket, when the ticket is torn, on the door, and on the screen in text as well as audio
"Turn off your phone. No text, no calls. if you take your phone out of your pocket, you will be ejected from the movie with no refund."
And then they actually DO it. Ushers stand and watch the crowd the whole movie.
Also, they record your bitchy phone calls if you call to complain, and add those to the audio portion of the warning.
And they serve beer.
Biased summary, and silly comments.
The guy wasn't shot because he was texting during a movie, or even the previews.
He got shot because he got into a heated argument and altercation with someone who was carrying a guy and obviously trigger happy (or paranoid, or very threatened).
This has little to do with texting and movies, other than it started the whole mess.
I am sure offing texters while watching previews was the first thing in US's Founding Dickheads minds, definitely not fighting against their original country, England and its other invaded little kingdoms, Scots, Irish and Welsh...
...just wait
The shooter that is...
Kill a pig or an ex-pig, you will NOT get a fair hearing, even if you're right. All around the world, the system is riggest against you, the prosecutors and the pigs will do everything to blacken your reputation and ruin you. End of story. No happy ending.
This happens in the US all the time... and by the headlines out of New Mexico, I see school shooting student has started
Hey! Will you keep that gun quiet?!? I'm trying to watch a movie here!
Doesn't matter. The NSA already knows who it is. The rest is just paperwork.
Guns don't kill. People kill. Those who might get angry at another should not be allowed to purchase or own guns. Which means all of us.
Yes, because shooting a 43 year old man and his wife is totally an appropriate response if one of them sends texts during a movie. I mean, since he was retired, the shooter would've paid around $10 for the privilege of being in that cinema. So he's entitled to shoot anyone who slightly annoys him during that time. Especially considering it was a Mark Wahlberg movie. That was sarcasm. But this isn't: You are an idiot.
It's not about texting or shooting.
It's about someone who gets belligerent when faced with a reasonable request to conform with the expected standards of society.
Both of them should have conformed, the dead guy (not saying victim, he's not, he was a willing participant if not an instigator in the conflict) should have put his phone way and said "sorry, just keeping up with my daughter." and the old guy, should have dealt with the conflict on a level that it needed. i.e. something short of gunfire. (He should know all about the "spectrum of force" being former LEO.
They both FAILED at conforming to expectations and responsibilities.
In any case, no loss. The kid is better off without her asshole father and it's fortunate that an end-of-lifer that nobody likes anyway is taking the fall for this needed corrective action.
Retired cops don't need to apply for a license to carry in NYC - they automatically get one everywhere. They are the new praetorian class.
When is it acceptable to use force, or lethal force, when someone annoys you?
A life was taken, over what?
As far as texting is concerned: there is nothing more annoying that someone texting, or doing anything with any device that has a blasting light in front of your, it's distracting.
If it's barely done, then it's understandable, but all the time, not.
As a parent who rarely gets "date night"s with the wife, we need to check up with our babysitter once in a while. The least inconvenient and annoying way is via texting (unless someone getting up and walkout out and in 3 times during a movie is more convenient, doubtful).
Look I have seen *plenty* of situation where one person (sibling, friend, S.O., fatehr/son) put the hand over the arm, the chest or whatever. Those are gesture to *calm* down the person, and are in no way shape or form a restraint against a violent gesture to come
Really? In your family, people can't be calmed down without you laying hands on them in public? Are they unable to be reasoned with, otherwise? And what if they can't be reasoned with by way of having someone block them with their arm? What happens then? What is it you're afraid they'll do if you don't hold your arm in front of their chest? Specifically.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Exactly. None of this would have occurred with a little mutual respect and common decency.
Somebody's a cop, or in a cop family.
Normally, I presume the cops are guilty as hell. In this case, I'd have a hard time convicting that psycho ;)
if I was on a jury again. Yeah, it's wrong, but I understand where he was coming from.
Almost every jurisdiction with gun restrictions makes exceptions for active duty and retired cops.
American jurisdiction, perhaps. In the UK, armed officers can only carry in the hours they are on duty. They don't get to carry when they are off duty, let alone when they are retired.
Although generally I'm not annoyed when people are texting on dim screens during previews. It's only when the movie begins that my annoyance appears.
Fortunately it's fairly rare where I live.
For some reason, gun control measures and proposals here in the US from the left never include cops or former cops. They always get a special pass.
Because politics is the art of the possible.
Most of the movies I've been to in the last two years just show regular tv comercials for twenty to thirty minutes, then there's two or three previews then the movie. It feels like such a rippoff, cost me $50 (two tickets, One popcorn combo with two pops) to take my wife out on a date night, plus I had to pay for a babysitter (another $30), just so I can watch crap I activaly avoid on TV. Maybe that's why Empire Theater in Nova Scotia, was sold off to Cineplex. Maybe that's also the reason so many people wait to pirate the movies instead of going to the theaters.
+1 funny! The agenda mods are out in force today...
His child has no father now because the stupid old man couldn't let it go.
Not just his child, his GIFTED child! Reading and responding to texts at the age of 3! Won't someone PLEASE think of the GIFTED children!
Why would the law be any different between ordinary civilians, retired officers or not ?
Okay, and maybe blue fairies were involved. This speculation is piled too high - the assumption that her hand on his chest was to restrain him, and the *pure* speculation based on that slim reed that he had a history of altercations, is just silly.
I'll revisit this when a reasonable body of facts are available.
Yeah, but a drunk guy on a bike can't kill pedestrians, but with a car, he can.
Guy on bike vs. pedestrian:
San Francisco, US:
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2013/07/23/san-francisco-cyclist-pedestrian-death/
Dorsett, UK:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/dorset/8197430.stm
Well, clearly the guy didn't deserve to be shot, but based on what I read in the article, he does sound like he was a complete asshole. When you go around behaving like an asshole, it isn't surprising that you'll get into a few fights, and if eventually you get into a fight with the wrong guy, this sort of thing happens.
From what I can see, he *did* deal with it. I'm not understanding why you're upset.
Alternate title: "Man Shot To Death After Striking Retired Police Officer In Dark Room"
When you put it that way, it's not ridiculous. Probably wouldn't have received national attention either. Yes, the fight started over texting, but it was finished when one of them hit the other. Violence in public is risky. You never know how the other guy plans to defend himself. Don't be an asshole and hit strangers, and you won't get shot by the tiny percentage who carry guns.
--Jaborandy
We have a new challenger!
...just pointing it out cause it is a funny choice of words.
I am one that believes that self defense is a right granted by God the same way that freedom of speech and freedom of expression is granted.
According to that claim, OP believes that the right of self defense was established by rebels against a tyrannical ruler, followed by a revolutionary war, which the revolutionary rebels have won.
All of which makes the OP a Satanist.
Cause that's the only revolution against a ruler in western religion.
Lucifer and his buddies against the establishment, winning themselves their own private country.
There is no penalty for being rude anymore.
We have reached a point where the only allowed response to even an obscene level of rudeness is to "give them a good talking to". Seeing that the type of person who is insanely rude is also the type of person who learned to mentally do the equivalent of going, "La la la la la..." with their fingers plugging their ears there is no recourse against them. They automatically have won... unless someone escalates it to a physical confrontation.
Once upon a time people (even bad ones) defaulted to being courteous because there was a very real chance that someone would take them to task in a very real and physical way over their lack of respect and courtesy.
Civility as a norm is sorely missed.
The shooter is a retired cop. The comment adds nothing to the conversation, it's just witless sarcasm.
I'm as ready as the next guy to dump a jerks cell phone into their soda during the movie, but during the ads who cares?
Apparently other patrons.
And Mr. Lahey causes ShitStormTroopers!
Where Jesus tells his pals they should all be packin iron.
Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
--Luke 22:36,
Right to bear arms? Fuck that sissy shit.
JESUS COMMANDS YOU TO ARM YOURSELF!
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
lol, stop whining kid.
So says the guys who keeps on getting proved wrong.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
...we get metal-detectors at movie-theaters? Ooo, or how about those X-ray (nude) body-scanners.
Politics; n. : A religion whereby man is god.
how was the movie?
to a gunfight.
Since everyone else seems to have posted a sophomoric slice of sarcasm, here's mine: Since cops seem to have a well-trained reflex to shoot people with cell phones, can't the shooter play that angle in his defense? Cop? Cell Phone.....Shoot.....Hello, is this thing on? Ba-dum-bump! *tschhhh!*
On a serious note, I do wonder how the subject of the film the audience was there to see might have primed the combatants for violence? I mean, I doubt that there would have been a shooting if it was a Care Bears movie. We're constantly fed violence, taught to crave it. Our political rhetoric uses its imagery. Our national anthem is about slaughtering our enemies and their blood washing away their footprints from our territory. I'm not condemning, just making an observation.
As Jaborandy points out, the texting was only prelude to an "altercation". This is what prompted the shooting, and undoubtedly we will hear some version of self-defense claim from the shooter's attorney eventually. The news outlets' packaging of this story as practically an execution for the offense of texting is misleading to say the least. For those of us who don't have the time to delve into the details of these stories, the risk is we come away from the headlines with a false impression of what happened. This is not in any way to judge the merits of the case or exonerate the shooter (it would be extremely hard to imagine him feeling his life was in danger from a 43-year old suburban parent there with his wife), but just to say be careful what conclusions you jump to.
Just to stir up the pot a little, I'll say this: it's another example of Florida's asinine gun permit clause which mandates that concealed weapons stay concealed as opposed to "open carry". Several of these high-profile shootings probably would have been avoided if the eventual victim knew beforehand that their opponent was armed.
The right to offend is more important than the right to not be offended.
Hanging chads and butterfly ballots, police tazing 1st graders, gunning down unarmed men in their own driveway and now in movie theaters. Not to mention they have face eating zombies. WTF?!?
On average, Police only hit the person they are shooting at about 25% to 30% of the time. In a crowded theater, more innocent people would likely have been killed by the tiny dicked cowboys playing Dirty Harry.
God gave you a tiny dick. Hate him. BTW, why is it always the worst specimens of a race that spew racial superiority crap?
P.S. There is probably a very good reason you get branded a "Racist". Examine the exriment that is your soul.
That's not at all what he said, and you're a fucking idiot.
Address 26159 Mountainview Blvd Brooksville, FL 34602-9140
Yeah, thanks for the details, but I can't get hold of him. Perhaps he's not home?
"Woman shot to death for playing Nyan cat during movie." Wife says
He was texting on the shooter's ground.
Chewbacon
The Bible is like Wikipedia: written by a bunch of people and verifiable by questionable sources.
The report from the witness I saw indicated that the draw and firing was quick, and he was already restraining her husband prior to the shot. He was held back by his wife, and threw popcorn at the shooter. If she wasn't holding him back, he likely would have been throwing punches (so indicates the shooter), so the shooter held a belief that he was subject to a violent attack with the capability of ending his life. So he ended the confrontation.
If this doesn't end in an acquittal, I hope the Blacks burn Florida to the ground. This shooting was more justified than "that other shooting".
Learn to love Alaska
This is Oracle's lucky day. How much better of a story could they have asked for, to bury their headline?
You FAGGOTS can mod me down but I speak the truth.
I'll be laughing when you all die of the new incurable strain of HIV.
Look I have seen *plenty* of situation where one person (sibling, friend, S.O., fatehr/son) put the hand over the arm, the chest or whatever.
That's a bad habit. As I write, I wonder do I do the same?!?! Not with adult siblings or relatives. Maybe with a newphew or niece but mainly I let them have their sobfests and not add to the attention they seek.
One would not and ought not "put the hand over the arm, the chest or whatever" of an armed cop. You should not do it to a stranger either. Nor a stranger who is armed and an ex cop.
Thinking more about people who control situations with their gesticulations.... I think it is sometimes sociopathic behavior. Not that they ARE sociopaths, but the behavior is compatible with one. E.g., that you would bring up this practice, the "gesture to *calm* down the person" from the EXACT SAME PERSON WHO IS THROWING POPCORN, is clue that you may be a sociopath. If you want to calm someone down with physical intrusions as you suggest, then maybe you don't throw the damn popcorn too. Pick one.
OTOH, if I use my arm to swing a fist at someone, phsyical restraint is justified. But in general, if my arm is being kept to itself, I'll expect the same from others.
Should a breach of this protocol result in death? No. Will a breach sometimes be confused with assault or cause sufficient fear. Yes.
And if it hasn't been said yet: Don't bring popcorn to a gun fight.
Death penalty? What you're saying there is, "Killing someone is a bad thing to do, so we'll kill you." Pure hypocrisy.
Then there would have been at least two crazy guys clinging to bringing their gun everywhere.
One dead and one wounded is more than enough for a simple argument. And that's just the physical aspect of it, not considering the psychological damage of the surviving (and wounded) wife, and the rest of the people present in the theatre who easily could have been hit by a stray bullet.
That's why every red-blooded American was granted the right to bear arms by the founding fathers ... to shoot those mother-f@cking @ssholes that text during a movie (preview or main doesn't matter).
I wonder how many thousands of deaths it will take before America finally wakes up and reduces that 2nd amendment right to the arms that were current at the time of that amendment ...
She didn't do it to an armed cop, she did it to her husband, who is not a stranger.
I guess killing the texter is a bit overkill, but how hard can it be to just fucking stop texting when asked to?! Sheesh!
If he refushed, stand up and point to the holstered gun and ask the texter to leave. No threats at gunpoint, no killing and the texter would have to leave as texting is banned and he has no choice anymore.
"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong." -- H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) --
The fact that you even think this neanderthal retired gimp had any justification poetically to even think about that is the problem with your country. And it's that thinking that will leave you unarmed and at the butt -mercy of your tyranical government.
I hope he used a silencer, otherwise that's just plain hypocrisy.
The guy wouldn't turn off his phone. After being asked, complaints to management... He was a jerk, and he got shot for it. Good.
Could the gunman get away with it under the "Stand-your-ground"-doctrine?
Someone throwing popcorn might be perceived as a threatening action, thus allowing the gunman to defend himself using deadly force?
What are your thoughts on this?
Regular people carrying firearms are generally aware of it. The problem with the guy in question is that he's an ex-cop. US gun laws are written in such a way as to make cops and ex-cops a very privileged class - they can carry most everywhere regular folk can't, without a need for permits etc. They also carry the "I'm not a civilian, because I have a gun" mentality. The only thing that I'm surprised about is that it took so long for something like this to happen (normally, cops tend to go for unwarranted lethal force while on duty, and we hear less about that because the cases get covered up or chalked off as "unfortunate accident").
If I'm an idiot then you're a shit eating monkey.
1 - He shouldn't have had a gun in a movie theater.
2 - He should have retreated instead of returning to the same seat to press his "rights", which he did because he knew he could draw and fire.
The shooter was in the wrong, and he's going to rot in jail for murder. It's telling that you reference "the Blacks". That says a lot about you.
...a text message.
Perhaps depending on the position of the wife, I would say arm vs. chest mean very different things.
Unity? Screw that: XFCE. Slashdot Beta? Screw that: SoylentNews. Australis? Screw that: Pale Moon. UX developers DIAF
...reading the headline, I was kinda hoping that this was the cinema's policy rather than leaving the responsibility to a fellow movie-goer.
...Only in New York would a retired cop still carry around a gun , even in a movie theatre. Was it a "Shoot-em-up" flick?
This. Also anyone else old enough to remember ushers in movie theaters? The guys with the flashlights that would come kick you out if you were throwing stuff or get you to act like a human being and not hang your muddy feet over the backs of the next row of seats?
I miss civilization.
This is so very funny!!
This news article spent all its fluff text berating cell phone use in theaters and labeling it as a rising problem, while completely skipping over the insane individual who KILLED someone.
No matter how many certs one can get these days to carry (see below) and even if this shooter had none of them, this is the world we live in. The US (for the 1st time) topped more deaths from US handguns/weapons than ALL WARS combined that we've been involved in as a country. Nope - guns aren't a problem, it's those damned people. We have and have become so amazingly ignorant in this day and age [ Concealed Handgun License/Permit (CHL/CHP), Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW), Concealed (Defensive/Deadly) Weapon Permit/License (CDWL/CWP/CWL), Concealed Carry Permit/License (CCP/CCL), License To Carry (Firearms) (LTC/LTCF), Carry of Concealed Deadly Weapon license (CCDW), Concealed Pistol License (CPL)]
I mean I really hope he used a silencer...
Both apply to the Zimmerman/Martin incident. He didn't need to take his gun with him to "look at a street sign" and he followed a "suspicious" person until there was an altercation, without ever retreating, even after reporting the person as suspicious to the police.
I figured someone would complain about "the Blacks" but how else would you describe the groups that protested the Zimmerman/Martin incident?
It looks to me like it'll come down to "black kid shot = acquittal, white adult shot = conviction" The race situation in the US is fragile. Since you flatly indicate he'd going to rot in jail, how would you compare two guys in a fight in a theater, one ending up shot, to one guy "stalking" another with a gun, getting into a fight and one ending up shot?
Incidents like this may be looked upon as isolated in court, but not in the public view. So, how do you compare it?
Learn to love Alaska
Obviously, this was an over-reaction and the punishment did not fit the crime. But texters should smarten up and be aware that their texting addiction--under certain conditions--can really piss people off. Hopefully, this event will have some significance to those rocket scientists who are in charge of deciding whether or not to allow texting during flights.
The story states that the texter also threw his popcorn at the ex-cop. In no way is this a death penalty, but this escalated the situation very quickly. Everyone can agree on how you shouldn't shoot people, how about we talk about proper treatment of people and respecting others in a public space.
1. When you go to a movie and the lights turn out, you put your phone away, regardless of what is on the screen. I can't start to explain how annoying it is hearing a phone go off while in the middle of a movie or seeing bright screens with people texting. If you want to communicate, do it outside the theater before you sit down. It is only 2.5 hours of your time.
2. It is not an unreasonable request when someone asks you to stop texting in a theater with the lights out, regardless if the movie started or not. When the lights go out, put your phone away. No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service is another standard we live by. More and more people don't respect rules these days. This is the time of narcissism and selfies. This fad needs to go away, quickly.
3. Adults throwing food or other items at another is ridiculous. A 40 something year old man acting like this is pathetic. He rolled the dice and that dice came up Whacko. Being a bigger man is stepping away from a hostile situation and not adding to it. If this were a kid throwing popcorn at another, would this parent allow that? I would hope not.
If we all stop being rude, selfish pricks this world would be a better place. Countless stories like this start off with someone not respecting another or the space around them.
Needs more gay people.
Instead of crazy, violent breeders that do everything they can to oppress gay people.
Just sayin'.
The retired-cop shooter probably thought he was still on the job.
Come to Australia you might accidentally not get shot for texting in a movie.
seriously who gives a fat rats ass if anyone texts in a movie. ?
Australia where gun control actually works...
Florida.
how else would you describe the groups that protested the Zimmerman/Martin incident?
"Americans"?
When good things happen, "America" as a whole gets credit. It's only fair to do the same when bad things happen.
Reeves (the shooter) is 71. At that age, you have different rights in Florida than someone who hasn't become a senior citizen.
1. Assaults give you a right to defend yourself if you FEEL threatened. Throwing a container of popcorn at another person is an assault if it is done in anger.
2. According to the suspect's lawyer, the "Stand Your Ground" law would cover someone, aged 71 who is assaulted in a place he or she has a right to be.
3. The federal law covering retired police officers carrying firearms gives them the right to carry in most places, including places which post signs like the Cobb Theater has done which tell patrons that firearms are prohibited. Thus a seasoned police officer in Florida would likely be carrying his firearm all the time, as he was required to do during his career. There are provisions that the department where the officer last served must sign off on the retiree's qualifications annually, and the officer must re-qualify on the range as do serving officers.
4. Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco spoke informally with the deputies at the scene and the consensus was to proceed with the murder 2 charge. But, a good case can be made by a good lawyer that the 71 year old man was within his rights to defend himself against an assault if he can convince a jury that he was in fear for his life or grievous bodily harm.
Much could be said about the rule in Alamo Drafthouse theaters where if you tell Siri you would like to send a text, she replies, "I'm very sorry but you're in an Alamo Drafthouse movie theater, and the use of phones is strictly prohibited. Please don't be rude."
This is an unfortunate case which has consequences for both families (The suspect's son is a serving Tampa Police officer).
This will be an interesting case if it goes to trial.
(FWIW, In the winter I live about ten miles or so from the Cobb Theatre, although I have never attended a movie there.)
If your only tool is a hammer, you'll approach every problem as if it were a nail. - Abraham Maslow
Maybe Hollywood has been putting subliminal messages into their flicks that
cause people to go wacko in movie theaters?
People cause shitstorms.
Then bullets are the shit, only deadlier.
Then make the substitution, and re-read the statement. I was using the words that they used to describe themselves. I'm not sure how that's racist when that's how I was asked to call them.
Past your complaints on my word selection, what is your assessment of the situation?
Learn to love Alaska
Cinema owners have no right to stop texting. The carrier purchased a license to use the spectrum at great cost and the cinema cannot take away the right given by the Federal government through that license. Using it is bad manners but nothing more. Crazy old gun nut. The curse of the Second Amendment.
Heavy is the head that wears the tinfoil hat.
Seriously? I don't think the texter is the story here, it's the ticking time bomb of rage issues that carried a gun into a public place. There is a high probability he was going to go off eventually, it just happened to be a person texting that untwined his rope. It could have been a driver, someone walking to slowly, or a rude clerk in a store.
If Chad Oulson had had his own gun, he might be alive and well in jail today -- and the retired police officer (along with, possibly a couple of innocent bystanders) might be dead instead. Oh .. hold on, Florida is a 'stand your ground' state... So: other people might be dead, but Oulson would probably be a free man.
BTW: According to FBI murder stats, if you own a gun, It's about 3-5 times more likely to kill a member of your family than to kill an intruder or other criminal.
In other words, if you care more about protecting your family from criminals than you care about keeping them alive, then you should definitely buy a gun.
It's Darwinism in action.
Sometimes boldness is in fashion. Sometimes only the brave will be bold.
http://www.infowars.com/kelly-thomas-verdict-cops-now-have-license-to-murder/
Oh, now I get what you're talking about. You think it's unfair if the white guy goes to prison for killing the white guy, when the other white guy didn't go to prison for killing a black guy.
Honestly, yours was the first reference I saw to race, and it never even entered my mind. It didn't matter to me what race either of the guys in this new case was.
But, jumping on me is just barking up the wrong tree. Nothing I posted compared the two cases, so stop wasting your time - you have no idea what I think of the Zimmerman case.
in an "armed" society, where not everyone has the same level of impulse control?
Here's to hot beer, cold women, and Glaswegian kisses for all.
I didn't ask your opinion about what you thought about Zimmerman. Your statement about the hand being for a shield was factually wrong, according to witness reports. The indication was that the hand was holding the texter back. A 71 year old man, being threatened by a younger, combat-trained person could reasonably fear for his life. I also find it interesting that the general consensus here is that the shooter should be found guilty, when a similar case (but with a black dead person) the consensus was that the shooter was justified and should go free.
We'll see how the case plays out in the courts, and how America reacts to the verdict. I predict some unrest if the white victim provoked shooting gets a conviction when a black victim for a provoked shooting gets an acquittal. Many will see that as a racial issue. I've already seen it mentioned as such in the press, but I have no idea if that's a general feeling, or sensationalist reporting.
Learn to love Alaska
I didn't ask your opinion about what you thought about Zimmerman. Your statement about the hand being for a shield was factually wrong, according to witness reports.
So what? Stories develop, facts become clearer. Oh, you want a brownie point? Excellent, (poof!) here's your brownie point.
Here are your words again: "I hope the Blacks burn Florida to the ground"
The fact that you wrote that is the bigger problem here for you. Try working on that. I'm done exploring your attitudes toward race. I don't like to get that stuff on me.
America is racist. You prefer to ignore the problem and pretend you aren't racist, while being a closet racist. The fact that you are so afraid to talk about race relations as an issue indicates you are racist and don't want it to show. Did you not notice the protests around the Zimmerman/Martin incident? Did those not exist because you prefer to not talk about race?
Learn to love Alaska
Not long after that there was anothe movie theater incident that only a few of the mainstream media covered. A guy started shooting and a woman with a CCW Dropped him, quite likely saving many lives.
After the first shot is fired and the adrenalin rush hits, your fine motor control is gone. Most people including cops are lucky to hit the side of a car once someone takes a shot at them. You may be "cool hand luke" but that adrenalin dump is likely beyond your control.
Was the phone on vibrate or silent, or was it constantly beeping and booping or possibly sounds to match keypresses while the user was typing?
Sadly, a Libertarian cannot force his views on another, and freedom cannot spread as does the cancer known as religion.
Lone Survivor II. Meta-narrative about widow who seeks revenge against [...] for [...] because [...] and then [...].
Lone Survivor II. Meta-narrative about widow who seeks revenge against [...] for [...] because [...] and then [...].
... well, you know the rest.
And officers, whether active or retired are supposed to know how to de-escilate these situations. We don't know why the guy retired. It might have no been for reaching retirement age. Many times people in these high stress, high risk professions are "retired" because of "other reasons".
The man was shot to death because he stood up and threw popcorn at an elderly man who happened to have a gun and apparently an anger problem. Both of these guys got out of line because neither of them had the maturity to let it go. If the perpetrator had kept his cool, we'd be reading a story about a jerk who assaulted an elderly couple with popcorn. Not well-played by either party, and so the families are suffering.
For Christ's sake people, hug a puppy and let it go.
(your anger, and the puppy)
That's all there is to say about this. This no way to make sense of this. It's hard to imagine that the shooter was anything but mentally ill. Nothing but a sad tragic event.
gosgog:
Good, if you're so FUCKING STUPID to take your Turned on Cell phone to a Movie, then you should be shot! ....don't believe me look at Congress!
If you can't SHUT UP during a Movie then you should also be shot.
If you text while driving or riding a bike...same deal.
There's an overdose of idiots in the U.S.,
It appears that you either did not read, or did not understand, the comment to which you replied.
Come on people. Man was shot because of the argument/altercation, not texting. It is the same thing as in Zimmermans case. Chain of events is: something happens->argument->physical violence->shooting. Do not oversimplify this to something happens->shooting, because it is not that simple.
He probably thought the texter way trying to pirate the movie with his cellphone. Piracy is punishable by death-on-sight these days right?
I'd have to question the idea that putting your hand on someone would be viewed as harmless by most people. I'm a senior citizen and have felt threatened by guys half my age merely because someone didn't like the way I looked at them. Some people are naturally aggressive misanthropes who think their shit doesn't stink. There is no way I could run from an aggressive personality. As far as I'm concerned much of the violence stems from individuals who have no respect for others or community standards. They are the aggressors because they lack respect for others. People go to a movie theater to see movies. It is a special group situation in which theater operators request the cooperation on the part of attendees to recognize and respect why others are there. I find it unfortunate that so many people fund it such a burden on them to be without the use of their cell phones (or some other means of instantaneous communication) for a couple hours. Especially for such superfluous purposes as texting a three year old. Those who find themselves unable to be "out of contact" with the whole world are displaying not only their inability to separate themselves from the monster of electronic communications but also pure disrespect for others. To me it matters not whether one is viewing previews or the main feature. It's the situation and why people are there that matters - to escape the outside world for a short time. And those who can't leave the outside world alone for a short time shouldn't even be there. It all boils down to respect for others. If the victim had any respect for others in the theater he wouldn't be a victim. Period.
Pretty sad.... But some texters, and in general, people who talk on their cell phones in public deserve punishment, but I would not go as far as shooting them. But I know trying to talk and reason with them about their bad manners is impossible, however nice you are to them.
Invalid argument. The cop was (presumably) well-trained. He was quite clearly not a "good guy."
The man with the gun did exactly what the rest of us, too civilized (or mentally stable) to actually follow through on an emotion we know is irrational, only fantasize about doing...
Me (to rude asswipe texting with a bright screen in the middle of a movie): Turn that thing off!
Rude asswipe, after turning off his phone: You could have asked nice!
Me: (thinking) F**k you.
These are the reasons I stay home and download pirated shit. It's just easier...
Except reality shows: less guns => less murders/deaths. Here in Germany most private gun ownership is prohibited there are almost no fatal incidents with gun owners (there are some, but that's really nothing compared to the states.) Foreigners fail to grasp why some Amreicans are so fetishistic about their firearms that the many, many unnecessary and highly tragic deaths caused by them are simply discounted as neccessary collateral damage. and the stupid propaganda "the only thing that stops a bad guy (...)" is extremely cynical and perverse because it only benefits the economic entities selling 1, 2, 3, n... guns to BOTH guys.
Sweet! Dude deserved it.
From what I gathered, these guys went to the movies to relax and catch a good flick. Then Chad Oulson's babysitter sent a text needing response. Than Curtis Reeves told Ouls to turn off his phone. Another text from babysiyyer, Reeves gets into it with Oulson, Oulson throws beg of popcorn at Reeves. Reeves feels threatened, so he pulls oit hie guns in a dark theater and shoots Oulson dead.
Ok, you and the wife are at the theatres. You are texting the babysitter who is posing as your three year old daughter. You do this, in a rare moment of 'I never do this during the previews but my three year old is being very funny', during the previews.
An older gentlemen behind you tells you to turn the cellphone off. You note he is angry.
At what point do you think to yourself, "I can take this old geriatric in my sleep", and tell him to frak off?
Geriatric goes to find a manager. He comes back managerless.
At what point do you think to yourself, "I'm going to take this old geriatric outside," and ask grandpa if he told tales to management on you?
At what point do you throw your bag of popcorn at him?
Me, I think you'd probably tell the geriatric you were sorry, it is your three year old daughter, possibly make like you were worried about her, and put the phone away.
This doesn't excuse the geriatric bringing a gun to a theatre and shooting someone to death, I just think you'd behave better than the dead gentleman did.
RTFA. Texter was facetious, said he was texting his 3 year old. Well how many 3 year old text? Wouldn't back down and threw popcorn over the retired cop. What did he expect? If you go around making smart ass remarks and taunting people, one day you will run across someone with a short fuse. Retired cop over reacted but if he was in genuine fear of his safety can use stand your ground. Both are idiots.
So then you're happy for us to hope some psychotic dickhole shoots you in the face for being a douchebag on the internet? "Golden Rule," and all.
I saw a pamphlet once that asserted that first world countries with tough gun laws had just as much violent crimes as the US does, but what they forgot to mention was that much less of the violence was committed with a gun and there was less gun-related murder.
They didn't 'forget' to mention that less of the violence was committed with a gun, it just isn't relevant. Whether I am killed with a gun, or someone's fists, I am still just as dead.
“Despite the tragic altercation in a Florida movie theater, which as reported is an isolated incident, movie theaters are a safe and enjoyable entertainment destination for millions of people,” National Association of Theater Owners spokesman Patrick Corcoran told reporters.
Mayor Vaughn: [to reporter] I'm pleased and happy to repeat the news that we have, in fact, caught and killed a large predator that supposedly injured some bathers. But, as you see, it's a beautiful day, the beaches are open and people are having a wonderful time. Amity, as you know, means "friendship".
You're in a dark room staring at a huge bright screen with pictures and text on it and you feel the need to kill the guy sitting next to you looking at pictures and text on a 2 inch screen?....
I make it a habit to live by the 'Golden Rule'
"It's not gay if it's in a three-way"?
In capitalist USA corporations control the government.