Killed For Texting In A Theater

Imagine sitting in a movie theater with your spouse waiting to watch a movie. Minutes later you are shot and they are laying there bleeding to death. Not because some asshole thinks he's The Joker but because your spouse was texting during a movie and then threw popcorn at someone who thinks its fine to come to the movies with a loaded handgun. This happened in Florida recently when a married couple Chad Oulson, 43, and his wife Nicole Oulson were out to see a matinee of Lone Survivor.

At the Grove 16 theater in Wesley Chapel Chad was sending texts to his 3 year old daughter when Curtis Reeves, 71, asked him to put his phone away. Chad decided not to and continued. Reeves asked him a few more times before leaving to get a theater manager. He came back without a manager and asked Chad to stop. Next thing you know Chad throws popcorn at Reeves who shoots him. Nicole was injured, shot in the hand, because she was covering Chad at the time he was shot. A nurse who was there tried to give CPR while an off duty sheriff's deputy held Reeves there. Reeves who is a retired police captain has been charged with second-degree murder.

“Me and my husband didn't get a date night very often, much less a whole day to spend together...so I was just so excited and looking forward to spending the day with the love of my life at a place of entertainment. You know, family entertainment” Nicole said in an interview. “And just to think in the blink of an eye, my whole world just got shattered into a million pieces. And now I'm left trying to pick them up and put them all back together. And it's so hard, and it's so unbearable.”

I have a lot of questions and theories about this entire situation and sadly most of them end with violence. Human life isn't worth as much as it used to be. Every day people are killed for ridiculous reasons. Just a couple of weeks ago a girl was beaten to death for photobombing a picture. I leave the house knowing that people are already set to cause violence and that there is no reason for me to contribute to their special brand of madness.

This particular situation is filled with people making the wrong moves. Chad should not have been texting in the theater. That's number one. I hate when people text in shows even if its the previews. Texting his 3 year old? That's just weird. If someone has to ask you multiple times to stop texting you are just being a dick. I doubt this interaction took place in a minute. What was Nicole doing during all of this? Did she suggest her husband stop texting? Did she say anything to Reeves? Why didn't they change seats? I'm sure a matinee of this not number one film in the country moving was an option.

Why did Chad decide that throwing popcorn at an obviously upset old man was a good idea? Surely he expected some form of a struggle to occur afterward. You don't just throw shit at people and dust your hands off thinking things are finished. Was he planning on fighting the old man? He must have or else he wouldn't have started the altercation. Popcorn doesn't hurt but it is considered an assault just as spitting on someone is. We as humans know what to do to start some shit with each other that doesn't involve our fists.

I was talking to my friend about this and even though I don't have kids or any real responsibility except for my own well being I like to think that if I had a family that my brain would know that to be around for them that I can't do single man shit. No picking fights, no endangering my family. 

Why did Reeves bring a gun to the movie? I get nervous bringing a damned burrito from Chipotle with me let alone a weapon. Where was the theater manager that he went to go talk to and complain about the texting? No one needs to mention security because most people that work in theaters fucking hate it and the last thing they will do is interfere in anything.

All this being said, no one should have died because of texting. Its a stupid way to have your life ended, especially at 43. No one expects to die because they threw popcorn at someone. I feel bad for the daughter who no longer has a father because he couldn't stop being rude, couldn't keep from throwing food like a 3 year old himself, doesn't have a mother that can settle her husband down, has a father that fucked with the wrong crazy old man, and lives in a state that seems to love guns more than my own.