Accused Movie Theater Shooter Said He Was 'In Fear of Being Attacked'

Yahoo News/Good Morning America ^ | STEVE OSUNSAMI, SENI TIENABESO and COLLEEN CURRY (GMA)

[Anton.Rutter]

The elderly man accused of shooting a movie theater patron in Florida after an argument over text messaging told police that he fired because he "was in fear of being attacked."

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said at a news conference today that the victim, Chad Oulson, 43, was texting his young daughter's babysitter when an argument erupted with Reeves over texting during previews before the movie "Lone Survivor."

[showme_the_Glory]

Poor old guy watched too much Gran Torino. Get off my lawn.

[Travis McGee]

He’s just a troll trying to get a reaction, which makes him smile, while sitting in his basement in dirty tighty-whiteys surrounded by pizza boxes and empty bottles of Yoo-Hoo.

[ealgeone]

white guy shot a white guy....nothing to see....move along folks.

doesn’t fit the narrative.

[sport]

And judging from your response, a good decent one. How I wish there were more like you. I remember the police as people who would interact with you. Would counsel wayward youth about to go down the wrong path of life. Would settle arguments and if you broke the law, put you in jail. However, making arrests was not the main focus of their existence. Keeping the peace was. How I wish that was true of the police now.

I suppose my name calling is because of frustration and sadness of what things used to be and what they are now.

[a fool in paradise]

How does ‘texting’ bother other moviegoers ? It would make more sense if he was TALKING on the phone, or had the SPEAKER on, but texting ? That makes no noise.

There is light and a repeated "click click clickty click click click click" sound. Not everyone has an iPhone. And even an iPhone likely has a glowing screen.

[Travis McGee]

Perfect. But I’m guessing Rhinelander is just one of his many troll IDs.

[LeonardFMason]

25-30 people in entire theater. GET UP AND MOVE AWAY from someone bothering you. Why does everything have to be a confrontation. There were other seats open EVERYWHERE. People need to learn how to walk away.

[Gay State Conservative]

From what I've heard of this case it doesn't sound like the shooter had any legitimate reason.If the people in front of him were annoying he could have moved...or called the manager.

[a fool in paradise]

Blame the steroids he may have taken during his professional career.

If it is a case of ‘roid rage, at least the taxpayers won’t be paying for his legal defense.

[Uncle Chip]

Throwing the popcorn was a clear escalation of force

You're kidding right??? that called for the use of deadly force???

BTW I have it on good authority that all the kernels were popped in that bag, therefore lessening the chance of escalation.

[Admin Moderator]

Rhinelander is going to have a hard time responding for the next week.

[Tijeras_Slim]

sitting in his basement deep in the hurtgen forest...

[Onelifetogive]

Well, they have a theater full of witnesses, so I’m sure they’ll be able to determine that.

I completely agree, and I hope the ex-cop goes away if he's in the wrong. I'm just unwilling to prejudge based on a bias against cops.

[Shannon]

I like your comment.

These days too many people are too quick to escalate things instead of diffusing them. It's really not that hard to diffuse a situation if you keep your wits about you. Not adding to an already tense scene is key.

It Tampa, either man could have diffused the situation. Neither did.

[Anton.Rutter]

“My grandfather gassed your grandmother”.

Just for the record, what does that statement mean? Are you saying your grandfather was a Nazi or simply throwing around Nazi comments?

Whatever...FR doesn't need it.

IBTZ. Let him paint his swastikas at Stormfront.

[a fool in paradise]

Something I found at that bottom link:

“She also stated that she didn't hear the shots in her theater and didn't realize anything was going on till a theater employee turned off their movie and told the patrons leave.”

So for those who say that the texting in the back of the theater wasn't disturbing the other patrons, apparently neither was the discharge of a firearm. Some people are that immersed into their own theater experience.

Just goes to show that lack of response from other patrons doesn't constitute a complete picture of “witness accounts”.

[a fool in paradise]

There were a lot of other people in the theater, it seems the argument had not gotten so out of control that they noticed, at least until the popcorn was thrown.

At least one patron is on record saying she didn't even know of the gunshot(s) or scuffle in the back of the theater. She was unaware of any of it until the "movie" stopped and the theater was cleared.

[Travis McGee]

Even for a troll, that was a pretty nasty comment: “My grandfather gassed your grandmother.”

Imagine being proud of it, if it was the truth.

Thanks.

[a fool in paradise]

You know, the texting guy might have been acting like a completely rude jerk, but you can’t kill people for that or the only 2 jobs left would be undertaker and grave digger.

John Welsey Harding once shot a man, just for snoring.

[Onelifetogive]

that she was trying to shield her husband makes sense to me... it is a natural reaction

If she was shielding him, it means that she knew he was about to get shot, but HE did not know it. I think the shooting happened SO fast there was no way either of them knew. (Again, pure speculation.)