Man Fatally Shot for Texting in Movie Theater
A man at a movie theater in Florida was shot dead by another patron after an argument erupted over his texting during a screening. The shooter, 71-year-old retired police officer Curtis Reeves Jr. was charged with second-degree homicide after opening fire on Chad and Nichole Oulson, killing the former and wounding the latter.
An eyewitness told CNN that Reeves and Oulson got into an argument about Oulson's texting during the showing of Lone Survivor, and that Reeves left to go get a manager. He came back without one, and then the conflict escalated to popcorn-throwing. Reeves then fired one shot, sat down and put the gun in his lap. Oulson, 43, was reportedly texting his daughter. An off-duty officer detained Reeves until law enforcement arrived.
The incident also prompted a slightly tone-deaf report from The New York Times, who took the time to point out that, "The killing underscored the increased debate about when to use smartphones in public." Nowhere does the Times report mention any debate about gun control.
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This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/national/2014/01/man-fatally-shot-texting-movie-theater/356977/
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