ATV Florida Forum

There's been a lot on the news lately about that ex cop killing that guy in the movie theater cause he was texting. I'm an old guy and not really familiar with texting, but I thought texting was a quite way of communicating with your friends.

If that's true, then why would anybody get upset if someone was texting? I can understand if the guy was talking loudly on a cell phone, but I can't understand getting mad about someone quietly texting.

 I know, he shot the guy cause of popcorn being thrown in his face, but the texting started it all.

Comments please !

Larry

often when a message comes in on the phone it will make a chime, beep, etc....so if that was the case, it would get rather irritating especially since one is paying to see a movie .

the light of the phone being turned on could have been distracting.

before a movie starts, they show a message to turn off cell phones and no texting during the movie as one wants to be respectful of others.    Not saying that this is the case, but people will often think that stuff like this doesn't pertain to them and they can do what they want.

Maybe its a generation thing.....as kids these days get cell phones at such a young age and really don't know any better , where us older people can do with out them.       

I read where the retired cop politely asked the man to stop texting. When the madman texter angrily-refused to stop and cursed at the old man, the old man went and got an usher. When the usher told the man to stop, the maniac texter physically got within inches of the old man, yelling at him and tossed the popcorn container in his face, while continuing to yell profanities at him. The old man feared that he was about to be assaulted and battered. Once he felt he had to draw his weapon, he had no time to retreat, due to his close proximity to the mad tester. He feared the madman would grab the weapon and continue his assault on the old man. Clear case of suicide to me, but, I'd have tried harder to handle it differently. The old man is screwed because one witness asked reporters, "who carries a weapon into a movie theater"? But, the real answer to his question is, "the one's who'll be shooting back at any/all madmen who attempt to murder"!

The man who was shot was a well known rider/father in Central Florida. He was texting the babysitter who was watching over his daughter so he and his wife could spend the evening at the movies.

If someone asks you to put away your phone when you're checking up on your kid, how would you react?

I'd say, "oh, I'm sorry, etc. and I'd go to the lobby to complete my communications without rudely distracting others! Or, I'd ignore the person and quickly finish my text. Communication is over-rated, actions speak louder! Folks today communicate the most useless information(because it's so easy), yet they don't know simple courtesy and have to be told.

the man  killed was done so without need.  the guy shooting truly had to realize he was over reacting to an annoying thing like texting in a movie theater.  an absolute tragedy that ruined many lives!!     and yet to many would say modern technology has been this great wonder for all.     

The fact is, we weren't there, to see whether or not the 72 y.o. Shooter might have been in fear of great bodily harm or worse. And, unfortunately, most witnesses are ignorant of the law, fear guns, subscribe to MSNBC, etc., so, their perceptions/delusions of the event are stacked against this old man. I guess you have to be in healthcare to understand how brittle the health of most 72 y.o.s bodies are and witness their fear of overly-aggressive, hostile, threatening and profanity-spewing madmen(including with with cellphones or in cars). The old guy obviously knows the law and served his community as a cop for decades. He had many other opportunities, over the years, to "over-react" and get away with it, and he did NOT! It's just a tragedy, which will be worse if the shooter goes to prison.

“The fact is, we weren't there, to see whether or not the 72 y.o. Shooter might have been in fear of great bodily harm or worse”. This is true. 

 “ He had many other opportunities, over the years, to "over-react" and get away with it, and he did NOT” How do you know he didn’t? He might have and it was covered up or simply didn’t make it into the newspaper. As a trained police officer he should have been able to handle the situation better. For that matter he shouldn’t have even gotten himself into that situation.

Do you really think it’s an over reaction to take the life of another person? and that it’s just a tragedy he took a life over something a stupid as texting.

If your carrying a gun for protection an intend to use it for protection and do use it for protection then you should be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions.

And where and how do we define  (fear for our lives?) If we accept the broad definition of  fear for our life that we have in place today then by those standards I should be able to shoot a politician every time they open their mouth because when they do I’m in fear of my life.

It’s tragic that we live in a world today where so many people have so very little regard for the life of another person.

I can see there are many gun activist on this site.  I guess there should be being an ATV site and many AtVers are hunters, rednecks or jus gun toting people. I have never been into guns, nor do I want to be.  It's a shame how this world has become that some will say this gentleman who shot was in fear of his life and responded in self defense.  This was a movie theater, in the middle of the day no less.  The gentleman was retired police officer.  Does this mean all cops or retired cops should draw a weapon when off duty when obscenities and popcorn are thrown at you?  I know it stated he got an usher, but I'm sure if he asked for a manager he would have gotten better results.  Nobody and I mean nobody deserves to be killed over texting, popcorn or whatever.  Can any of you honestly say you have never cursed at a driver on the road because they cut you off or had someone yell at you because you accidentally cut them off?  I guess we should shoot the and kill them because we were in fear of our lives....oops wait, I'm not a cop so I don't know better?  I think this topic should be locked because it's heading down a road that is going to piss a lot of members off.

Thanks for all of your replies !

I didn't want to start a war or anything though. I haven't went to a movie theater in over 20 years cause of people talking during the movie and things like that. Cell phones weren't even around back then. The texting guy should have went out to the lobby, but nobody should have died over this.

Larry

Of course, no one should have died! I didn't think I had to explain that. But, you can assume this was about texting all you want and you can believe it would all have ended after the popcorn. But, you weren't there. How beat up/injured does a 72 y.o. have to get before you give him the right to defend himself? Can you measure it? A black eye, a broken nose? Just be considerate and don't assault/batter people, they may be armed and afraid!

None of you guys talking are local to this. You are so far from what actually happened.
This "old man" is in trouble for his bad choices. Middle of the day only 12-15 people in the whole theater and it was during the previews not the actual movie.
If you are being annoyed by a texter why wouldn't you just move to one of the other 300 seats instead of engage the person.
The old man should have moved, PERIOD! He is not the owner of the theater.
He has a history of bullying other movie goers at this theater for the same thing. Also the old man was a big boy and appeared to be in good shape, not some decrepit little old man with a cane.
For the record, I am a gun guy and I do support ccp.

None of us was there, no matter how close we might live to the scene. And, now we're deciding that movie goers are only entitled to just the main attraction? News accounts said the old man went and got an usher, after being cursed at for politely asking texter to be quiet and that enfuriated the texter to continue his assault and popcorning. If it were a concert, would the old man be entitled to enjoy the opening act without someone talking, standing up and blocking his view, etc.? Just saying, there's gotta be more to the story. No matter what shape YOU want to believe a man's in at 72! That texter clearly did not see an equal match in that 72 y.o.. He could be your father or grandfather. Let's let the judicial system sort it out.

Does it really matter whether or not it was about texting? What if I was parked off the side of a rural dirt road when a middle-aged ATVer came flying past me going 50-60 mph, kickin up dust and I raised my hands(as if to say, WTF)? Would that give the ATVer the right to turnaround, stop 10 yards away and shout obscenities, while tapping the axe handle he had strapped on the front of his ATV? I say, yes, it's a free country and he's on a public road. But, if he were to leave the road and begin to approach me, do I have to wait to see how much he's going to hurt me? No, sir, I do not. That old man did not have the luxury of time or distance to make his decision.

Again, someone died here who shouldn't have.  If this man was a cop, I'm sure he knew many other options of self defense other than shooting a man at point blank range that was unarmed.  I'm doing posting on this thread but had to give my opinion because people are actually sticking up for this injustice.  I would encourage people to stop posting to this thread.  Could you imagine if the victims wife were to read some of these responses?  Again, it's a shame what this world has come to

apparently your news reports contradict the local news here who have interviewed witnesses who were sitting in the same row. He actually went to speak with a manager and got nothing. And in NO news report did it ever say the old man asked politely. and yes the courts will decide it.

Incorrect. http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78884484/ (http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-78884484/)

No one should judge the guilt nor innocence of this old man because we don't have all of the facts. For those of you who want this to be a clear case of manslaughter, based only upon news reports, gossip, etc., we'll see what the courts decide(after exploring facts vs. opinions). If you don't like this discussion, don't participate. If the old man simply shoved the texter, in response to the popcorn, and the texter died after hitting his head, would we still be having this discussion?

This reminds me of another story of a lack of courtesy. Many years ago, while sitting at the counter in a diner, a couple walked in and the women sat at the stool, next to me. She asked if I'd mind her smoking. I replied, "if you don't mind me farting"! The man said an abbreviated version of, "not a very nice person". I replied, then why ask me? The woman did not light up.

Incorrect about what? Don't see the "old man politely asked" anywhere in the ad nor do I see where he went to get an "usher". In the local news the attorneys for the man said he went to get a manager. Either way the only thing this goes to show in this day and age is you can't go off on anyone because EVERYONE is armed to the teeth and some are stupid enough to kill you over an argument or in this case some popcorn! Very sad.

The news report states, "The argument began after Oulson asked Reeves if he had reported him to theater staff for using his phone". Was it not enough to ask the texter to be quiet and not enough for the staff to ask him to stop? The texter continued to provoke the confrontation! At what point was he going to cease his verbal and physical assault on a much older man? Old people are more fearful of the potential for great physical harm. The old man may or may not have had the option of returning to his seat in order to move his wife to another location in the theater, before or after the threatening, profane rant of a popcorn throwing texter. Would the texter have provoked a much younger man?

Just an overzealous ex-cop that probably abused his position of authority for many years and it finally caught up to him because he didn't have a badge to hide behind anymore.  Reports have also indicated that he was a hot head while being employed at TPD, does this surprise anyone? Rot in hell you dirty cop!
Aintskeered, you are so way out in left field you're starting to sound like a hyena on crack.  :banghead.gif

If some man would have said something to me about texting on my phone and yelled at me I would have just squeezed his wind pipe shut until he passed out and been done with it !!!  >:(

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Bravo.  Best post on this thread yet.

I've never said the old man was guilty nor innocent of any law. A few of you guys are the reason defense attorneys make so much money. And, likely the same who wanted Zimmerman found innocent. You're the same folks who brought us the McCarthy era, Salem Witch Hunt, Spanish Inquisition, etc.. And, for all we know, he may take a manslaughter plea, while you work yourselves into a lather over something you cannot control and have very limited facts about.

No but you did kind of blame the victim and defend the old mans actions. This last statement makes me think you voted for Obama with all the flip flopping

They're both victims. There's no winner. What do you think about the news report which stated that a witness held the old man until the cops arrived? Really? An old man shoots a younger man in an alleged moment of rage(vs. fear) and then he simply let's an unarmed bystander hold him for police? Really? And, the younger man was simply treating his wife to a quiet night at the movies? Really? That's the way to show your wife a quiet and relaxing evening? Really?

It was actually early afternoon and the bystander was also off duty officer who acted for safety of others. I see both sides but pulling a gun over popcorn is stupid as hell and this old man has a history of bullying others in same theater and for same reasons. Trx spelled it out.
Go ahead and have last word.

Today, the prosecutor released video of the old man sitting(not standing) behind the texter. The video showed the texter tossing the popcorn from his seat at the old man and immediately getting shot to death. Without any other testimony to support the shooter's right to stand his ground, a jury will feel that the old man had opportunity to retreat, without reasonable fear of violence, and they'll find him guilty of murder, unless he cops a plea. Tossing popcorn(vs. take a swing) is the act of a girly-man. Knowing that, he might have handled it differently. The old man possibly could've reported the popcorn assault, again, and gotten the texter removed from the theater. If he just couldn't accept a popcorn attack, he possibly could have ID'd him and responded some other time.

It's a shame you took as vehement stance as you did, Aint.  Clearly, the initial reports and gut instincts of most people have prevailed.  

The prosecution then began presenting its own slate of witnesses, starting with 68-year-old Charles Cummings.
 
He sat a few seats down from Oulson that January day in the row in front of Reeves. During the previews, Cummings said he heard Reeves and Oulson talking, and at one point, the latter said, "I'm just texting my 2-year-old daughter."
 
Soon after that, a "very agitated" Reeves left the theater then returned a few minutes later and again addressed Oulson.
 
Moviegoers recounted what happened next.
 
 
Mark Douglas Turner -- who spent 27 years in the Air Force, including time as a clandestine officer who worked in China -- recalled a relatively calm Oulson saying, "Do you mind, I've got a voice mail from my daughter's babysitter? Do you mind I check to see if my daughter's alright?"
 
The atmosphere changed considerably soon after that. While witnesses did not recount what Reeves said, Cummings said that, whatever it was, "I felt Oulson had enough."
 
Alan Hamilton, a corporal with the Sumter County sheriff's office who was taking in a movie with his wife, said he heard Oulson saying, at one point, "I am trying to text my f**king daughter, if you don't mind" -- using graphic language that Reeves' lawyer said suggested Oulson was angry and threatening.
 
The popcorn flew in Reeves' direction soon thereafter.
 
"And almost immediately," recalled Turner, who said Oulson threw the bag, "the gun comes out and there are shots fired."
 
Oulson then stumbled and said, "I can't believe he shot me," before falling on Cummings' son, the witness recalled. A nurse who also happened to be in theater then testified -- as Oulson's widow, Nicole, wiped away tears -- about unsuccessful efforts to save his life.
 
According to Turner, Reeves said, "Throw popcorn in my face."
 
Couple describes encounter with Reeves
 
Hamilton said that right after the shooting, he acted quickly to take the gun from Reeves -- who was sitting, as he'd been during the shooting -- and subdue him.
 
Before more authorities arrived, Reeves' wife told her husband "that was no cause to shoot anyone," according to Hamilton, the law enforcement officer who was then off-duty.
 
Reeves responded by pointing his finger at her and saying, according to Hamilton, "You shut your f**king mouth and don't say another word."
 
The off-duty corporal said that at one point, Reeves pushed back his glasses and said out loud, "Holy f**k, what have I done?"


This was clearly an aggressive person (Reeves) who felt privileged due to his former life.  Now he has no life at all.  Seriously.  Who made this guy the hall monitor other than himself?

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Just the way he addressed his wife in front of witnesses makes me dislike and not want to believe he believed he was in the right.

I hear they have special places in prison for ex-cops.

Id@

HOLY CRAP!

We've officially had a confirmed Id@ sighting! 

tis rare indeed, I used to pop in every now and then, this time happened to be looking in the for sale section to see if anybody had a small enclosed trailer for sale,,,,what has happened, this place seems dead?

Id@

That's an understatement. 

Like anoriginal on a quad, does not happen often.

 rolback1 rolback1