A retired Tampa police captain accused of shooting a man texting during a movie will be arraigned on a second-degree murder charge today, Jan. 14, in a Florida court.
Pasco County Sheriff's Office confirmed this week that Curtis Reeves Jr., 71, is charged with shooting Chad Oulson, 43, after a "verbal and physical confrontation."
Oulson was pronounced dead at a local hospital and his wife, Nichole, received medical treatment for a gunshot wound to her hand, according to NBC News.
"To have a retired police officer, I don't know what he was thinking at the time," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said in a statement this week, according to CNN. "I can tell you, anybody, over a cellphone, to take their life, it's ridiculous."
Reeves was in Pasco County jail on Jan. 13 and a judge could decide as early as today to set bail or not.
An off-duty sheriff's deputy from nearby Sumter County has been credited for stopping Reeves from causing more harm at Cobb Theatres in Wesley Chapel, Florida, according to NBC News.
The off-duty deputy was able to secure the weapon, which was confirmed to be a .380-calber handgun, until on-duty Pasco authorities arrived at the theater.
"He was a true hero in there. He reacted," said Nocco, according to NBC News.
Nocco also credited two nurses who were inside a theater at the time of the incident and did their all to try saving Oulson's life.
Officers believe the incident occurred because Reeves was outraged that Oulson was texting during the previews being shown before the movie "Lone Survivor," starring Mark Wahlberg.
"This situation over a cellphone use - to escalate that high, I can tell you it's very scary," Nocco said. "Or the fact it's a movie theater or, you know, a place such as a school, where people have a belief that they should be in a movie theater to relax or a school to learn and have it arise to this kind of level."
Reeves asked Oulson "several times" to stop texting and after Oulson refused to stop, Reeves decided to complain to the theater's management before returning.
Oulson, who was texting his daughter, then confronted Reeves verbally and the argument quickly turned into a physical altercation. Reeves then took out his gun and fired one shot.
Nichole was wounded in the hand as she was grabbing her husband the same time Reeves pulled the trigger, according to Nocco.
Reeves retired from the Tampa Police Department in 1993, according to Laura McElroy, a spokeswoman for the department, who spoke with NBC News.
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