A 71-year-old man faced trial but was ultimately acquitted of murder after a shooting in a movie theater.
Curtis Reeves, a retired police officer, was tried for the second-degree murder and aggravated battery of Chad Oulson, a Navy veteran who lost his life following a dispute at a movie theater in 2014.
The confrontation happened during a screening of Lone Survivor in Tampa, Florida.
The altercation allegedly began when Oulson texted his child’s babysitter, prompting Reeves to ask him to stop.
During the ensuing argument, Oulson is said to have thrown popcorn at Reeves, who then drew his handgun and shot Oulson, as stated in the complaint.
Reeves initially contended that he acted in self-defense, citing Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law, claiming that Oulson had thrown his phone and was ‘aggressively’ advancing towards him.
Judge Susan Barthle dismissed Reeves’ claim to the stand your ground defense, which offers legal immunity, noting that the situation did not fit the scenarios anticipated by the Legislature when enacting the law.
In 2022, after a lengthy eight-year period, a Florida jury found Reeves ‘not guilty’ of Oulson’s murder following a nine-day trial and a brief three-hour deliberation.
The trial was delayed due to several motions, hearings, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Nicole Oulson, Chad’s widow, criticized the delay as ’embarrassing,’ stating it gave Reeves the opportunity to ‘be at home with his loved ones and spend time with his family’.
“I want everyone to know that even though they tried to make Chad out to be a monster and the aggressor, he was an amazing man, husband, son, brother, friend and father,” she told ABC News in a statement.
“I will not just accept this result lying down. Chad may be gone, but he will never be forgotten, and I will use my voice to try and make sure no one has to experience what myself and my family had to go through.”
Reflecting on the incident, Reeves told ABC News’ Nightline: “I wish that none of this would have happened at all, but I don’t feel like an instigator.
“It was something that was, I had no control over. He’s the only one that could have kept it from happening.
“Certainly none of us, and I’m sure on both sides of the families, none of us wish it had happened like it did.”