Florida Theater Shooting Accused Was Himself Texting Before Murder
According to documents released by Florida prosecutors, Curtis Reeves, the 71 year old former police officer accused of killing a man in the now famous Florida Theater Shooting case had himself texted his son, minutes before he fatally shot the unfortunate victim, 43-year-old Chad Oulson, reports Businessweek.
It was on January 13 earlier this year that the shocking event unfolded at the Wesley Chapel, Florida movie theater where people had assembled to watch the “Lone Survivor”. According to eyewitnesses, the accused became irritated when he saw Oulson, who was seated on the row in front of him use his mobile phone to text this daughter.
A verbal duel ensued afterwards following which Reeves went out to complain to the manager. When he came back, Oulson asked Reeves if he had gone to complain. When Reeves replied in affirmative, the verbal volley between the two intensified and eventually culminated in Reeves fatally shooting Oulson. Chad’s wife Nicole too was injured as a bullet hit her hand when she tried to shield Oulson from the shots. Nicole has since then come out in the open with her thoughts on the issue.
Reeves was quickly arrested, charged with second-degree murder and aggravated battery and is being held without bail In the Pasco County jail ever since. He has pleaded not guilty to both the counts. His attorneys say that Reeves’ acted in self-defense – a claim that is disputed by eyewitness accounts who claim that they never saw Oulson strike Reeves. If convicted, Reeves stands to face a mandatory 25 years of imprisonment.
It is at this juncture that we now have revelations from the prosecutors who claim that the man who vehemently opposed another person from texting inside the theater had himself texted, a few minutes before he took the drastic step. The fact that Reeves had indeed sent a text message was confirmed by Matthew, the son of Curtis Reeves, who also happens to be the recipient of that text. According to North Jersey, the text was sent at 1:04 pm. Apparently, Curtis Reeves wanted to know the whereabouts of Matthew who was supposed to join them for the movie – but was running late for the show, and decided to text his son.
People are baffled at the actions that Curtis Reeves took on that day. Even more astonishing is the fact that both Curtis and Matthew have served the police department. In fact, Mathew is a Tampa police officer. Curtis on the other hand, served as a police officer almost all his life before retiring in 1993. His records reveal that he was consistently awarded with outstanding evaluations and received numerous letters of commendation for his services. The most surprising bit? Curtis Reeves had also in the past received awards for his expertise with gun safety.
