Curtis Reeves Wiki
Curtis Reeves Biography
Who is Curtis Reeves?
A jury has refused to convict Curtis Reeves, 79, who fatally shot 43-year-old Chad Oulson in 2014 during an argument about the father texting his babysitter on the phone during movie previews.
The disagreement escalated and Oulson threw his popcorn at Reeves, who shot him in the chest inside the Grove 16 movie theater in Wesley Chapel, a suburb of Tampa.
After the jury’s decision on Friday, Reeves smiled and joked with the press as he stopped for interviews outside the courthouse.
He also expressed his regret for killing Oulson.
Victim
“It was a sad day for everyone on both sides,” he said. ‘It should never have happened. I never wanted it to happen.
Nicole Oulson, the victim’s wife, who was also shot in the finger but survived, wept after the jury’s verdict.
Her stunned family slowly left the Dade County courthouse in the dark and hugged each other in the parking lot.
Family
I do not understand. I don’t understand,’ family members said as they cried and hugged in the parking lot outside the courthouse.
Reeves, who claimed he feared Oulson would ‘beat’ him, said he was glad his eight-year ordeal was over.
“It was difficult, not only for me, but for my family,” he said. “It was a difficult time for all of us with the restrictions and all the things that have happened over the years. It was very difficult to deal with.’
But Reeves has something to look forward to on Saturday.
“I’m going to my daughter’s wedding,” he said. ‘This is the plan.’
Vivian Reeves leaves court with her husband Curtis Reeves
Vivian Reeves leaves court with her husband Curtis Reeves at the end of testimony Monday.
“I don’t know what to say except this is a life-changing event that I would have avoided at all costs,” Reeves said. ‘My life is ruined. My family’s life is ruined, your family’s life is ruined.
Reeves is a US Navy veteran and former Tampa police captain who helped launch and lead the agency’s first SWAT team before retiring in 1993, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
He later worked as the director of security for the Tampa Busch Gardens amusement park and was an active member of his neighborhood Crime Stoppers organization.
Nicole Oulson testified Monday about what it was like to see her husband die.
“I see his eyes were glassy and I knew it right then,” she said. ‘I told him, ‘Chad, we need you, please hang in there, we need you.’
He said, ‘What’s your problem?
The movie hasn’t even started yet,” she said, quoting her husband.
Reeves went to theater management about Oulson’s use of the phone, returned to her seat, and that’s when the discussion resumed.
Video from the scene appears to show Oulson snatching Reeves’ popcorn from her lap and throwing it at her. Reeves instantly responds with a single fatal shot.
The case has been delayed for years as Reeves sought protection under Florida’s “stand firm” law that allows the use of deadly force in the face of mortal danger or fear of serious injury.
He was further delayed by the COVID pandemic.
Reeves has been under house arrest for most of that time, hooked up to a GPS-tracking ankle monitor.
A judge ruled against him, but Reeves appealed. Meanwhile, lawmakers changed the law to shift the burden of proof to prosecutors, but the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the changes did not retroactively affect cases like Reeves’.
Prosecutors urged the jury not to accept the self-defense claim that Reeves was promoting.
“What the evidence will show you is that Chad Oulson was shot to death for throwing popcorn,” Assistant State’s Attorney Scott Rosenwasser told the jury in an opening statement. That is no reason to kill another person.
The defense, however, contends that Reeves, then 71, was in poor health and feared that Oulson, 43 and older, would hit or otherwise assault him, and may have thrown his cell phone at him. to the older man.
“He was 71 years old, his health was failing and he was a decorated officer. He had that entire body of knowledge to determine if he was in a situation that could have harmed him. At that time the perception of him was that he was in serious danger,’ said defense attorney Escobar.
T.J. Grimaldi, who represented Oulson’s widow in a lawsuit
TJ Grimaldi, who represented Oulson’s widow in a lawsuit against the theater, said Reeves’ history as an officer, which included SWAT training, makes his actions inexcusable.
“This guy used to train SWAT teams, so he knows how to deescalate a situation and he should have,” Grimaldi told the Times.
“The claim that he stood his ground is stupid, to say the least,” he said. ‘Is there any good reason to shoot someone for throwing popcorn in their face?’
Reeves faced a possible life sentence if he was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
But transcripts of jail phone calls between Reeves and his family released in 2014 revealed the retired Florida police captain was confident of his acquittal.
