On January 13, 2014, Curtis Reeves was charged with second-degree murder after shooting and killing a 43-year-old man.
At the age of 79, Reeves has been found not-guilty by a Florida jury.
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What is Curtis Reeves’ trial verdict?
After a nearly eight-year delay, a nine day testimony, and close to nine-hours of closing arguments, Curtis Reeves was found not guilty of second-degree murder and not guilty of aggravated battery.
The decision, on Friday, February 25, 2022, was made a day after Reeves testified in his own defense.
During his closing arguments, State prosecutor Scott Rosenwasser said, “Nobody is ever above the law. Reeves killed another human being in a crowded movie theater next to his wife for no reason.”
However, “documents say the men exchanged heated words and that Oulson reportedly threw popcorn – and possibly something else — at Reeves’s face. Fearing for his own safety, the documents say, Reeves pulled out a handgun and shot Oulson in the chest,” Fox13 News reported.
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Arrest documents say Reeves “was in fear of being attacked” and so he pulled out his 380 semi-automatic handgun and fired at Oulson, which he claimed was in self-defense.
Florida is one of 38 “stand-your-ground” states that provide people with the option to use deadly force if and when they are reasonably threatened and in need of defending themselves.
What happened at Cobb Theater in 2014?
In January of 2014, Curtis Reeves, was charged with second-degree murder after shooting and killing a man inside a Florida theater.
According to USA Today reports back in 2014, Reeves, 71 at the time, and Chad Oulson, 43, got into an argument after Reeves asked Oulson to stop texting during the movie previews.
One witness, Charles Cummings, who was in the theater, said Oulson told Reeves he was texting his 3-year-old daughter.
Melanie Snow, Pasco County Sheriff’s spokeswoman, said the shooting occurred during the showing of “Lone Survivor” at Cobb Theatres Grove 16 & CineBistro in Wesley Chapel, Florida.
Oulson and his wife, Nichole, were airlifted to a local hospital where he died shortly after. His wife did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
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Who is Curtis Reeves?
Curtis Reeves, now 79, was a police SWAT commander who retired from the Tampa department in 1993.
Reeves’ son, Matthew, is also a Tampa officer who told the jury he arrived at the theater just as the gun was shot and rushed to help Oulson – attempting to apply pressure to his wound.
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