<p>The retired cop was sitting behind another couple (a yound mom and dad) and the dad was texting. The movie had NOT started, and the cop told the guy (a dad) to stop texting. A verbal altercation broke out, the dad threw some popcorn at the ex-cop and the ex-cop shot and killed the young dad!</p>
<p>This is just crazy!</p>
<p>And a 7th grader shot two of his classmates today. </p>
<p>I’m just bored at this point- and that terrifies me.</p>
<p>Sad. The alleged shooter might use Florida’s Stand-Your-Ground defense…I guess the popcorn thrown toward him he considered explosives.</p>
<p>[‘Evidence</a> of guilt is significant:’ Bail denied for movie shooter | Tampa Bay Times](<a href=“http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/movie-theater-witnesses-no-punches-only-popcorn-thrown-before-shooting/2160911]'Evidence”>'Evidence of guilt is significant': Bail denied for movie shooter)</p>
<p>I’m not really sure how more of a picture-perfect “responsible gun owner” you could have than a retired cop. </p>
<p>How paranoid do you have to be to carry a gun to a movie theater?</p>
<p>unbelievable…I really feel for this young widow and this poor little girl who just lost her father for NO reason!</p>
<p>“Reeves acknowledged the argument and said he feared he was being attacked.”</p>
<p>now we’re claiming stand your ground simply for “fear” of being attacked. get me out of Florida.</p>
<p>Wow. The shooter boldly stood his ground against the menace and danger of… popcorn?</p>
<p>[Monty</a> Python - Self-Defense Against Fruit - YouTube](<a href=“Monty Python - Self-Defense Against Fruit - YouTube”>Monty Python - Self-Defense Against Fruit - YouTube)</p>
<p>*I’m not really sure how more of a picture-perfect “responsible gun owner” you could have than a retired cop. </p>
<p>How paranoid do you have to be to carry a gun to a movie theater?*</p>
<p>Cops and retired cops are supposed to carry their guns with them at all times. Even out with the family. For active-duty cops, the thinking is that you’re a cop 24/7 and may need to intervene at any point. For retired cops, the thinking is that someone you arrested years ago may come up to you to cause trouble…so you need to be armed.</p>
<p>However, this crazy situation screams some kind of mental illness or something truly off the deep end.</p>
<p>“Reeves acknowledged the argument and said he feared he was being attacked.”</p>
<p>lol…</p>
<p>This won’t hold water. The fear has to be reasonable. Plus, you can’t “pick a fight” and then say that you’re standing your ground when “popcorn” is thrown at you. Heck…popcorn is used for packing/protecting fragile stuff…it won’t hurt you!!! lol</p>
<p>Surely, a life-long cop has seen far more “scary” situations thru-out his career and didn’t shoot then!</p>
<p>This was a midnight screening…I wonder if the shooter was intoxicated?</p>
<p>He is a retired CAPTAIN of a police dept!</p>
<p>Then he was Director of Security at Busch Gardens.</p>
<p>This is just too bizarre. </p>
<p>I’m still trying to figure out how someone texting in the row AHEAD of you would bother you…especially when the movie hadn’t started? But, even so, for the annoyance to reach this level is just too out there.</p>
<p>This is like Road Rage.</p>
<p>The judge isn’t buying any self-defense argument, although Reeves’ attorney did try it.
It looks like he will be staying in jail (quite rightly IMO)</p>
<p>[Bond</a> denied for ex-cop Curtis Reeves who allegedly shot texting dad - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/14/justice/florida-movie-theater-shooting/index.html]Bond”>http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/14/justice/florida-movie-theater-shooting/index.html)</p>
<p>I can understand how a bright phone screen would be annoying and distracting in a dark movie theater.</p>
<p>But shooting a guy because he texted and then threw popcorn? And then trying to use Stand Your Ground? That’s crazy.</p>
<p>^^
yes… (side issue…the movie hadn’t started)</p>
<p>And, I’m sure we can all agree…We all find various things annoying (babies crying on a plane, people snapping gum, etc)…but to go from “being annoyed” to the level of anger that results in the use of deadly force is just nuts. It’s disordered. It’s outside the range of acceptable anger/annoyance. </p>
<p>Has his wife said anything?</p>
<p>(if a nearby child had thrown popcorn at him in response to his anger, would he have fired the weapon at the child? I doubt it. His argument is empty.)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t .</p>
<p>I know that Ive heard of some crazy stuff coming out of Florida, but this sounds uncharacteristic.
I would wonder if he has had other behavior issues, possible stroke or cardiac event?
Sometimes the combination of health issues with meds can provoke impulse disorders.</p>
<p>[Intermittent</a> Explosive Disorder](<a href=“Forensic-Psychiatry – A brief overview and understanding”>Forensic-Psychiatry – A brief overview and understanding)</p>
<p>*Quote:
would he have fired the weapon at the child? I doubt it</p>
<p>==========
I don’t .*</p>
<p>Ok…I can understand that.</p>
<p>But I think in this crazy guy’s head it was some kind of “man vs man” “he’s disrespecting me” sort of thing. </p>
<p>I just don’t understand how someone can rise to the level of police captain and (to me) obviously have some kind of mental instability. Or maybe it’s age-related? </p>
<p>I know that my dear uncle became violent and crazy before he died. He had early senility and truly was irrational (thought people were stealing from him, thought he was being kept a prisoner, etc). He wasn’t one to ever hurt anyone in his “normal health”, but then he started pushing and hitting …and his wife had to hire 24/7 help with him.</p>
<p>
Well…:rolleyes:</p>
<p>
I agree. This sort of thinking definitely played a role in this. </p>
<p>But I wouldn’t be so shocked that dilution all people make it to police captains. The police command chain isn’t solely reliant on who’s doing te best job.</p>
<p>The retired cop was outraged the man was using his phone against theater rules.
Guess what another rule they have was, no guns allowed in theater.
Guess who helped stop the attack, an off duty police officer.
There are so many ironies in this story.
The retired officer went to get a theater personnel, when he came back the victim asked him if he went and told on him and the popcorn throwing scuffle ensued. I’m certain now his wife and family would have rather he just got up and moved. I tell my family all the time, just move away from the crazies. On the highway, at school, and now in movie theaters.</p>
<p>The retired cop retired in 1993 from Tampa Police…over 20 years ago…people can change a lot in 20 years…this is a sad tale regardless if he is retired cop or not. Over 1 million Florida residents have pistol-toter permits to carry concealed weapons…plus millions of others carry guns illegally. There are too many guns floating around among Florida’s 20 million residents. If I cross paths with someone in Florida who wants to start a confrontation, I usually just put my tail between my legs and skedaddle.</p>
<p>I hope you would do that in any state, lizard. You never know who has a gun. </p>
<p>Florida law allows people to carry guns in their car without a permit as long as it’s secure*. This is allowed on university campuses. I know at least 5 students who have guns in their cars. </p>
<p>*Does not mean “locked up”. Gun needs to be in a holster or zippered bag but can be anywhere in the car.</p>
<p>Maybe we will get to see the creation of the “popcorn defense”. After all, popcorn has edges that might hurt an old man’s sensitive skin and popcorn has butter which might make him feel uncomfortable. Surely being made to feel uncomfortable is a reason to kill someone else? Geez!</p>