Retired police officer 'shoots Florida father dead in cinema after row over texting'

UKMikeyUKMikey Posts: 28,728
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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/retired-police-officer-shoots-florida-father-dead-in-cinema-after-row-over-texting-9058047.html
A retired police officer has been charged with murder after shooting a man for texting during a movie screening in Florida.

Chad Oulson, 43, and his wife, Nicole, were shot after Mr Oulson used his phone during a screening of Lone Survivor on Monday.

Curtis Reeves, a former member of the Tampa police force, has been charged with second-degree murder after being accused of opening fire on the married couple.

Reports in Orlando say that the incident occurred after an argument broke out when Mr Oulson was asked by Reeves to stop using his phone at the cinema in Wesley Chapel, Tampa.

Charles Cummings, who was at the cinema with his son, told local reporters that the screening was only at the previews stage when the quarrel began. He added that Reeves had left the room to find a manager to make a complaint only to come back moments later. Once he had returned, the argument resumed.

"Somebody throws popcorn. I'm not sure who threw the popcorn. And then bang, he was shot," Mr Cummings said. "I can't believe people would bring a gun to a movie."

Mr Cummings claimed that the man fell back on to him and his son after being shot, with a nurse then coming to his aid to perform CPR on Mr Oulson. Both victims were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital but Mr Oulson died shortly after arriving. His wife's injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

"It ended almost as quickly as it started," said Pasco County Sheriff spokesman Doug Tobin.

Police confirmed that Reeves, 71, was detained at the scene by a Good Samaritan and is now in custody.
I don't think this is an argument for increased gun control in the States; it wouldn't be news if a situation like this were a daily occurrence.

Still, wow.
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Comments

  • soulboy77soulboy77 Posts: 24,396
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    A qualified retired police officer in the U.S. is allowed to carry a concealed weapon in any State regardless of local gun laws (it was in a film I watched recently!)
  • Gary_LandyFanGary_LandyFan Posts: 3,824
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    dumbarse americans will complain about it but will still expect to be allowed to own guns.
  • chaffchaff Posts: 985
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    I can understand his irritation, although the shooting was a bit much.
  • CroctacusCroctacus Posts: 18,216
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    A tad excessive, especially as the film hadn't even started.
  • wantoosoonwantoosoon Posts: 1,073
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    UKMikey wrote: »

    I don't think this is an argument for increased gun control in the States; it wouldn't be news if a situation like this were a daily occurrence.

    What?
    Every day in the U.S., an average of 289 people are shot. Eighty-six of them die: 30 are murdered, 53 kill themselves, two die accidentally, and one is shot in a police intervention

    From nbcnews.com.
  • UKMikeyUKMikey Posts: 28,728
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    wantoosoon wrote: »
    What?



    From nbcnews.com.
    None of your stats mention cinema shootings or are a justification for increased gun control. I'm not sure how suicides are relevant to this story or to an argument for increased gun control.

    My point is that the murder rate in the United States isn't through the roof compared to the UK. The page I visited suggested it was 4.7% versus our 4.0%
  • bart4858bart4858 Posts: 11,413
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    I can sympathise with the perpertrator. People looking at their phones and gadgets in cinemas are incredibly annoying.

    Shooting them dead might be going a bit far; but I wouldn't object to cinema seats being wired up to delivery an electric shock whenever it detects someone doing this.
  • UKMikeyUKMikey Posts: 28,728
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    bart4858 wrote: »
    I can sympathise with the perpertrator. People looking at their phones and gadgets in cinemas are incredibly annoying.

    Shooting them dead might be going a bit far; but I wouldn't object to cinema seats being wired up to delivery an electric shock whenever it detects someone doing this.
    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/movie_theater_layout
  • PencilPencil Posts: 5,700
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    The film hadn't started and he was texting - I don't see anything wrong with that. If he was making phone calls during the film, then that would be irritating. But seriously, texting during the previews would be very low on the list of potential cinema annoyances, especially when often you've got to deal with babies crying, couples kissing, people crunching their popcorn or talking or teenagers throwing stuff at you.

    By the sound of it, the man had a chip on his shoulder from the moment he walked in. I hope they throw the book at him.
  • UKMikeyUKMikey Posts: 28,728
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    Hopefully the murder trial will clear up what really happened. I imagine the row escalated after the initial texting incident.
  • Sabre92Sabre92 Posts: 726
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    Bit harsh
  • grantus_maxgrantus_max Posts: 2,744
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    UKMikey wrote: »
    None of your stats mention cinema shootings or are a justification for increased gun control. I'm not sure how suicides are relevant to this story or to an argument for increased gun control.

    My point is that the murder rate in the United States isn't through the roof compared to the UK. The page I visited suggested it was 4.7% versus our 4.0%

    The rate isn't percentage though, otherwise you'd be looking at 12.5 million murders in the States - a tad high, even for them.

    It's the number per 100,000 - i.e. 4 per 100,000 in the U.S. which equates to 14,612.

    I think you may have read the wrong row if you've got the figures from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate. UK is only at 1.2 per 100,000, or 722 intentional homicides. The next country below, Albania, is at 4 per 100,000, so could that be where you got the figure from?
  • Deep PurpleDeep Purple Posts: 63,255
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    H should go to a rock concert, he'd wipe out half the audience who are filming the show on their phones, rather than watching what's actually going on.

    Always seems weird to me.
  • kippehkippeh Posts: 6,655
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    H should go to a rock concert, he'd wipe out half the audience who are filming the show on their phones, rather than watching what's actually going on.

    Always seems weird to me.

    Would that be for going there rather than to his Steps gig?
  • walterwhitewalterwhite Posts: 56,554
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    UKMikey wrote: »
    None of your stats mention cinema shootings or are a justification for increased gun control. I'm not sure how suicides are relevant to this story or to an argument for increased gun control.

    My point is that the murder rate in the United States isn't through the roof compared to the UK. The page I visited suggested it was 4.7% versus our 4.0%

    The murder rate in the U.S. is a hell of a lot higher than the UK.
  • UKMikeyUKMikey Posts: 28,728
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    H should go to a rock concert, he'd wipe out half the audience who are filming the show on their phones, rather than watching what's actually going on.

    Always seems weird to me.
    kippeh wrote: »
    Would that be for going there rather than to his Steps gig?
    Guess the H stands for "homicidal".
    I think you may have read the wrong row if you've got the figures from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate. UK is only at 1.2 per 100,000, or 722 intentional homicides. The next country below, Albania, is at 4 per 100,000, so could that be where you got the figure from?
    The murder rate in the U.S. is a hell of a lot higher than the UK.
    My mistake, sorry. The movie about gun control I watched mentioned Canada which has a similar level of gun ownership but a far lower murder rate according to that website so it might not be time to ban guns just yet.
  • wantoosoonwantoosoon Posts: 1,073
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    UKMikey wrote: »
    None of your stats mention cinema shootings or are a justification for increased gun control. I'm not sure how suicides are relevant to this story or to an argument for increased gun control.

    My point is that the murder rate in the United States isn't through the roof compared to the UK. The page I visited suggested it was 4.7% versus our 4.0%

    I get the impression that you're not playing with a full pack.

    The location is irrelevant: shootings can happen anywhere. We do not set interest rates, create employment laws or decide fishing quotas based solely on what happens in cinemas. They are not a representative subset of public spaces or crime scenes.

    I've presented no arguments for increased gun control. I've simply shown that murders involving firearms are in fact quite common in the US, at 30 per day on average, with no doubt many maimings as well. This contradicts your assertion that shootings are not a daily occurrence, as if that were the yardstick for determining whether an action is necessary.
  • James FrederickJames Frederick Posts: 53,184
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    I don't see the problem with using your phone before the film starts for all we know the person may be phoning/texting to let somebody know where they are so not to phone/text them unless it's a emergency.

    I hope the cop gets the book thrown at him though but when he gets sent to prison he may not have a good time in there I doubt ex cops are the most favourite people in there
  • soulboy77soulboy77 Posts: 24,396
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    Well we don't know the full story yet. It probably started as a petty row then escalated. The ex-cop may have been physically threatened in the altercation which caused him to draw his gun in defence or he may of just lost it. None of us knows at the moment.
  • exlordlucanexlordlucan Posts: 35,375
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    Mobile phones should be banned from being used in cinemas.

    (Judge Judy has said that as well)
  • WinterLilyWinterLily Posts: 6,303
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    UKMikey wrote: »
    None of your stats mention cinema shootings or are a justification for increased gun control. I'm not sure how suicides are relevant to this story or to an argument for increased gun control.

    My point is that the murder rate in the United States isn't through the roof compared to the UK. The page I visited suggested it was 4.7% versus our 4.0%

    Data from OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development states the 2012 murder rate for the US is 4.7 murders per 100,000 people.

    This compares with 0.4 in Japan, 0.8 in Germany, 1.0 in Australia, 1.1 in France and 1.2 in Britain.

    These figures suggest the murder rate in the US is significantly higher than other western countries.
  • DrFlowDemandDrFlowDemand Posts: 2,121
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    soulboy77 wrote: »
    Well we don't know the full story yet. It probably started as a petty row then escalated. The ex-cop may have been physically threatened in the altercation which caused him to draw his gun in defence or he may of just lost it. None of us knows at the moment.

    And the wife as well though?
  • Ethel_FredEthel_Fred Posts: 34,127
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    He'll get off - he will just say he was standing his ground

    And he'll be able to produce the Wittertainment Code of Conduct to prove killing a texter in a cinema is justifiable - though he will have to explain why he made a noise
  • Ethel_FredEthel_Fred Posts: 34,127
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    soulboy77 wrote: »
    Well we don't know the full story yet. It probably started as a petty row then escalated. The ex-cop may have been physically threatened in the altercation which caused him to draw his gun in defence or he may of just lost it. None of us knows at the moment.

    It is certain his lawyer has already suggested that defence - Florida is wherevyou can stalk someone andcclaim self defence when they turnaround and thump you
  • dgi_mdgi_m Posts: 318
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    was his phone on silent?
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