(CNN) -- It started with a father sending text messages to his daughter during the previews of a movie.

 

It ended with the 43-year-old man shot dead amid the theater seats, and a 71-year-old retired police officer in custody.

 

The shooting Monday during a 1:20 p.m. showing of "Lone Survivor" at a Wesley Chapel, Florida, movie theater escalated from an objection to cell phone use, to a series of arguments, to the sudden and deadly shooting, according to police and witnesses.

 

As a male moviegoer texted, the man seated behind him objected, and asked the texter to put his phone away.

 

They argued several times, according to police and witnesses, and the man who was texting watched as the other man walked out of the theater. Curtis Reeves, a retired police officer, apparently went seeking a theater employee to complain about the texting, police said.

 

Two seats away Charles Cummings and his son watched the squabbling.

 

When Reeves returned, he was without a manager.

 

"He came back very irritated," Cummings said.

 

The man who had been texting, Chad Oulson, got up and turned to Reeves to ask him if he had gone to tell on him for his texting. Oulson reportedly said, in effect: I was just sending a message to my young daughter.

 

Voices were raised. Popcorn was thrown. And then came something unimaginable -- except maybe in a movie. A gun shot.

 

Oulson was fatally wounded. His wife was hit, too, through the hand as she raised her hand in front of her husband as the shooter drew a handgun.

 

Oulson staggered toward the Cummings and fell on them, Charles Cummings said.

 

The shooter sat down and put the gun in his lap.

 

Very sad situation. The victim leaves behind a wife and young child. The shooter has been charged with murder and denied bail. You would think a retired police officer would know when deadly force is and is not appropriate. Here's a link to the rest of the story:

 

Texting Argument Leads To Murder

He needs a firing squad.

The dude that ended up getting shot sounds like a complete tool, throwing popcorn on a guy (I mean really?), but shooting a guy over texting during the previews??? It's reported that two weeks earlier he followed a woman out of the theater because she was texting during the movie. He needs to be locked up for the rest of his life.

I read about this story this morning. I think he was actually texting with his daughter's daycare. The daughter is very young so it probably wasn't her.

 

Defense attorney, without saying Stand Your Ground, said essentially that his client felt threatened when the victim threw a bag/box of popcorn at him during the altercation.

 

A witness came forward and said the same guy had threatened her at a movie over the same issue - texting.

The dude that ended up getting shot sounds like a complete tool, throwing popcorn on a guy (I mean really?), but shooting a guy over texting during the previews??? It's reported that two weeks earlier he followed a woman out of the theater because she was texting during the movie. He needs to be locked up for the rest of his life.

Let's face it, if acting like a tool deserved being shot, we'd both be dead.

 

Guy needs to be executed. Cold blooded, calculated (to some degree) murder.

Let's face it, if acting like a tool deserved being shot, we'd both be dead.

 

Guy needs to be executed. Cold blooded, calculated (to some degree) murder.

 

Ain't that the truth.

 

Dude clearly has a screw loose.

What surprised me about all of this was the shooters background in

law enforcement.

Ain't that the truth. Dude clearly has a screw loose.

 

No doubt.

What surprised me about all of this was the shooters background in

law enforcement.

 

Craziness trumps experience.

AJG, your comment about retired police knowing when to use deadly force is silly. It's clear this guy is beyond nuts. I'm sure he did know when he could and couldn't rightfully kill someone. He ignored that and did it anyways.

Craziness trumps experience.

 

Yes. Former police can be crazy too. Heck he is 71 so it's not like he was police yesterday. He's had plenty of time for the crazy to grow.

AJG, your comment about retired police knowing when to use deadly force is silly. It's clear this guy is beyond nuts. I'm sure he did know when he could and couldn't rightfully kill someone. He ignored that and did it anyways.

No question. And that's why I think he gets the stiffest penalty. Imagine if he'd done it in Texas.

Yes. Former police can be crazy too. Heck he is 71 so it's not like he was police yesterday. He's had plenty of time for the crazy to grow.

 

Love it!

AJG, your comment about retired police knowing when to use deadly force is silly. It's clear this guy is beyond nuts. I'm sure he did know when he could and couldn't rightfully kill someone. He ignored that and did it anyways.

 

Evidently not. He is claiming self defense, he obviously felt it was justified.

Evidently not. He is claiming self defense' date=' he obviously felt it was justified.[/quote'] He's claiming self defense because he's not a complete idiot (edit...his attorney isn't a complete idiot) and he doesn't want to go to prison. I'd say the evidence and testimony in a trial will destroy that claim.

 

What will he say, the popcorn was hot and could have burned me to death?