Kip Powick Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 (CNN) -- It started with a father sending text messages to his daughter during the previews of a movie.It ended with the 43-year-old man shot dead amid the theater seats, and a 71-year-old retired police officer in custody.The shooting Monday during a 1:20 p.m. showing of "Lone Survivor" at a Wesley Chapel, Florida, movie theater escalated from an objection to cell phone use, to a series of arguments, to the sudden and deadly shooting, according to police and witnesses.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.Two seats away Charles Cummings and his son watched the squabbling.When Reeves returned, he was without a manager."He came back very irritated," Cummings 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. And then came something unimaginable -- except maybe in a movie. A gun shot.Oulson was fatally wounded. His wife was hit, too, through the hand as she raised her hand in front of her husband as the shooter drew a handgun.Oulson staggered toward the Cummings and fell on them, Charles Cummings said.The shooter sat down and put the gun in his lap.It happened that an off-duty deputy sheriff from Sumter County was among the 25 people theater at the Grove 16 complex. He rushed to the scene to make sure no more shots were fired and the shooter would stay put.It also happened that there were two nurses there and one came to Oulson's side and performed CPR until paramedics arrived.Oulson later died. His wife, Nicole, suffered a non-life threatening wound to her hand."I can't believe people would bring a pistol to a movie," said Cummings, a Vietnam veteran who had celebrating his birthday by going to a movie with his son.Reeves was sitting with his wife, Pasco County Sherriff Chris Nocco said.CNN affiliate Bay News 9 reported that Reeves was arrested on a charge of second-degree homicide. It could not be determined Monday night whether he had retained an attorney.Reeves retired in 1993 as a captain with the police department in nearby Tampa. He was also director of security at Busch Gardens until 2005, the station reported.Bay News 9 spoke to a neighbor of Oulson's who said the dead man was a very nice guy who he couldn't envision being involved in an incident like this."Always smiling. I've never seen him angry," Bill Costas said. If I needed help with something he was always there."Totally different guy. Like I said, it just doesn't make sense to me. Not from what I know of him."The shooting happened at about 1:30 p.m. inside one of the theaters at the Grove 16 complex, sheriff's spokeswoman Melanie Snow said."This was an isolated altercation between two guests that escalated unexpectedly. The safety, security and comfort of our guests and team members are always our top priorities, and we are truly heartbroken by this incident," Cobb Theatres, which operates the Grove complex, said in a written statement.On the theaters' website is a list of prohibited items and actions. Among them: No cell phone use, including texting, in the theater auditorium. And no weapons allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seeker Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Sad story. I almost think the fact that it started with texting is besides the point however; the guy in front was doing something that angered the guy behind and it escalated. It's a silly reason but it could just have easily been that he was loudly talking or chewing bubble gum - if it's the "thing" that sets someone off.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boestar Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Expect to see more of this kind of thing as americans buy guns in ever increasing numbers. Illinois has set records for concealed carry permit applications in the past year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
better4me Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 The movie started at 1:20pm and the shooting happened at 1:30pm. The main feature had not even started yet and the screen was filled with previews. The order of showing clips is previews, then no cellphone prohibition (request to turn off the cell phone), then main feature begins.Bringing this all to an airline perspective, the guy was texting before crew instructions to turn off all electronics. Would this not imply that cellphone use was okay during the preview stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Not that many ever read all that is on an entertainment venue.....this quote from the initial post in this thread.On the theaters' website is a list of prohibited items and actions. Among them: No cell phone use, including texting, in the theater auditorium. And no weapons allowed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blues deville Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 And no weapons allowed.It may be 2014 but it's still the "Wild West" for many Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Hudson Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 blues, re your comment, "It may be 2014 but it's still the "Wild West" for many Americans."Yep. And their Wild West self-made swagger has killed 194 children since Newtown.Bill Moyers Essay on the NRADecember 13, 2013Bill Moyers discusses the work of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which has just released a moving video urging people to speak out against firearms violence.D/FW Airport ranked second nationally last year in gun confiscations"Federal agents confiscated nearly 100 firearms last year from travelers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, placing it behind only Atlanta's airport. The Medill National Security Journalism Initiative at Northwestern University offered a peek at the numbers, which won't be released by the Transportation Security Administration for a few days."The Medill report says the number of guns confiscated from U.S. passengers increased by 20 percent in the last year to 1,828." 'The increase over 2012 is the third annual jump since 2010 - and the largest', according to the report."Ninety-eight guns were taken by TSA agents at D/FW Airport, the third-busiest in the United States.The busiest, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, was No. 1, with 110 guns seized, and Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport was third, far behind D/FW, with 67 seizures. "Most of the guns confiscated at D/FW were .380-caliber and 9mm weapons, and 84 percent were loaded. One in four had a bullet in the chamber."...more, at the link above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blues deville Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Those numbers in just over a year are scary. Hard to believe US politicians can't make some changes. Wasn't Binden charged with doing something after Newtown? Oh wait......never mind. The US has a lot to offer but any time I am traveling south of the border I am always reminded how lucky I am to live in Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 As someone above said, they're getting worse! ....I've just seen some very paranoid u-tubes of folks showing their "EDC's" (Every Day Carry kits), their "prepping", their "bug-out" stashes, etcetera.... MAny, or most of these videos have multiple thousands of views and there are hordes of 'em!It seems many folks think some kind of armageddon is imminent....? eg: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conehead Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 So, close to 2,000 people in the U.S. in 2013 were stupid enough to try and board an airliner while carrying a loaded handgun???It's just unreal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boestar Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Mitch:Anyone ask why he needs US Cash? In a post apocalyptic America, Cash wont be worth squat. Food and water will be the in demand commodities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 Krikey, I have no idea how they think... have a google at "Prepping" and I suspect you'll find all sorts of madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boestar Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Oh I have seen it. I think that there are some americans that are preparing for a revolution. The political and economic climate is pretty close to pushing some over the edge. American aren't paranoid.......everyone IS out to get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 A while ago somebody I work with in the US forwarded me a video clip from a "self defense" class that basically boiled down to "shoot first, get one over on the police later." It was quite frightening. There are a lot of people down there just itching for an opportunity to kill somebody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mo32a Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 There was an incident at a shopping mall near Phoenix the other day where two shoplifters were walking out of the mall and being followed by a security guard. Allegedly the female shoplifter pointed a toy gun at the guard to slow him down as they were making their escape. An older gentleman waiting outside the mall for his wife saw the action unfolding and pulled out his gun and started shooting at the shoplifters. He stated that his wife was just coming out of the mall and he was afraid for her safety.Of course he didn't hit his intended target and fortunately no one else either, but the shoplifters fled. Initially the police said that charges would not be laid against him however they have since charged him with dangerous discharge of a firearm, which is a good thing.On another note, an American I know bought 2500 rounds of 9mm ammo. His fear was that if Obama couldn't get their guns away from them he would get all the ammunition, as Homeland Security bought up millions of rounds and it was getting hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 80 Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 The way a cop from Virginia explained it to me years ago is it isn't that people carrying guns are preventing crimes so much as they're escalating or creating situations to levels that just would be inconceivable otherwise. Some dude with a gun decides "Oh no, not this time motherbleeper" to whatever issue real or imagined and things go downhill from there.He said he was once called to a situation where a tow-truck driver was holding a motorist a gunpoint who had entered the vehicle he was trying to tow, three bystanders then pulled guns on the tow-truck driver and some security guard also with a gun was spectacularly failing to deescalate the situation.Without the half-dozen odd guns in that situation the matter probably would have ended with an exchange of middle fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Good grief!.... I can tell you first hand how that sort of situation happens here in Canada....:A tow truck appeared in my neighbours driveway one day... while nobody was home.... I watched from my perch right here at my computer, where i can see, out my sliding glass door to my driveway, and then my neighbour's.... I knew they weren't home..... After the tow truck driver failed to rouse anyone from his knocking on their door, he began to ready his truck to tow their little minivan.... and I intervened.... I'll save you the whole story, but I ended up standing between the tow truck and the minivan for about an hour while he tried everything he could to convince me he was doing a legit repo of a leased vehicle.... it ended finally after the lady had come home and had time to take her personal possessions and child seats out of the van, and the cops showed up to tell me to leave.... No guns. No worry of guns.... no dreams of guns, nor wildest imaginations of guns.... I stood there knowing the bugger wouldn't do a thing while I was there!I know... long bit of nonsense to illustrate... but what a difference!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boestar Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 There was an incident at a shopping mall near Phoenix the other day where two shoplifters were walking out of the mall and being followed by a security guard. Allegedly the female shoplifter pointed a toy gun at the guard to slow him down as they were making their escape. An older gentleman waiting outside the mall for his wife saw the action unfolding and pulled out his gun and started shooting at the shoplifters. He stated that his wife was just coming out of the mall and he was afraid for her safety.Of course he didn't hit his intended target and fortunately no one else either, but the shoplifters fled. Initially the police said that charges would not be laid against him however they have since charged him with dangerous discharge of a firearm, which is a good thing.On another note, an American I know bought 2500 rounds of 9mm ammo. His fear was that if Obama couldn't get their guns away from them he would get all the ammunition, as Homeland Security bought up millions of rounds and it was getting hard to find.I good friend of mine here in canada just took delivery of 1200 rounds of 9mm and a while back 1400 rounds of 7.62mm. Canada is not so different, its just not as easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blues deville Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Good grief!.... I can tell you first hand how that sort of situation happens here in Canada....:A tow truck appeared in my neighbours driveway one day... while nobody was home.... I watched from my perch right here at my computer, where i can see, out my sliding glass door to my driveway, and then my neighbour's.... I knew they weren't home..... After the tow truck driver failed to rouse anyone from his knocking on their door, he began to ready his truck to tow their little minivan.... and I intervened.... I'll save you the whole story, but I ended up standing between the tow truck and the minivan for about an hour while he tried everything he could to convince me he was doing a legit repo of a leased vehicle.... it ended finally after the lady had come home and had time to take her personal possessions and child seats out of the van, and the cops showed up to tell me to leave.... No guns. No worry of guns.... no dreams of guns, nor wildest imaginations of guns.... I stood there knowing the bugger wouldn't do a thing while I was there!I know... long bit of nonsense to illustrate... but what a difference!!! Sheriff Andy would have done the same thing......http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0512552/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Mitch............................he tried everything he could to convince me he was doing a legit repo of a leased vehicle........................Can we assume he did not have any paperwork with him????EDIT....deleted remarks for another poster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blues deville Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Hey.... Blues .................look at how your 'modified' quote from Mitch's post reads..... Oh crap. Fixed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch Cronin Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Yes Kip... nothing more than some handwritten notes which included an incorrect address and the correct plate numbers.... He did, however, hand me his cellphone so I could talk to a lovely voice on the other end, who told me she was with GMAC financing... I asked her how I could know she wasn't the tow truck driver's sister? She couldn't answer that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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