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Man Shot To Death For Texting During Movie

Posted by timothy on from the remember-you-can-only-trust-cops-with-guns dept.

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.'"

7 of 1,431 comments (clear)

  1. Not "during movie" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    He was texting during the previews, which, unless things have gotten even worse, do not constitute "the movie". Get your headlines right.

  2. Texting during the *previews* by Freedom+Bug · · Score: 5, Informative

    Note that the title is wrong -- he was shot for texting during the previews, not during the movie itself.

  3. Re:Dead by GungaDan · · Score: 5, Informative

    Congratulations! You win the award for most incorrect obnoxious pedantry of the day. "Shot to death" is a perfectly acceptable phrasing.

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    Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!
  4. Re:It's about time! by clarkkent09 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I read that he left the theater to report the guy who was texting, not necessarily to get his gun.

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    Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
  5. Article with pictures of the people involved: by FilmedInNoir · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

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    Sig. Sig. Sputnik
  6. Comments from the cheap seats by DaveV1.0 · · Score: 5, Informative
    I live in the area and have been watching this unfold in the local news. I am amazed at the comments coming from users who are apparently basing their comments on this one report and their preconceived assumptions.

    Let's have some facts:
    • The shooter, Reeves, is 71. The victim, Oulson, was 43. Oulson's wife is 33.
    • Reeves left the theater for a short time. There are no reports locally that he went to retrieve his gun. There are reports that he went to get a manager.
    • Once Reeves returned, he was confronted by Oulson as to whether Reeves reported Oulson to the manager. It was at this time that a physical altercation ensued and Oulson was shot.
    • All reports I have seen say a bag of popcorn was thrown. Some reports seem to indicate that Oulson threw the bag of popcorn at Reeves.
    • Reeves shot once, hitting Oulson in the chest. Oulson's wife was shot in the hand because her hand was between the gun and Ouslon's chest.

    There is a very recent article about Reeve's appearance in court and what

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    There is no "-1 offended" or "-1 you don't agree with me" mod options for a reason.
  7. Re:The guy was a retired cop by PortHaven · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) is a United States federal law, enacted in 2004, that allows two classes of persons—the "qualified law enforcement officer" and the "qualified retired law enforcement officer"—to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the United States, regardless of state or local laws, with certain exceptions.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Enforcement_Officers_Safety_Act

    They are the American Nobility...