Retired Cop Who Shot Man for Texting in Theater Not Protected by “Stand Your Ground” Law, Rules Judge

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by Micah J. Fleck

Curtis Reeves, the retired police captain who shot and killed a man for texting in a movie theater back in 2014, will stand trial for second degree murder, according to a recent Florida judge ruling. The anticipation was that the “Stand Your Ground” law, which was at the center of the Trayvon Martin case, would be applicable to Reeves’s situation, but that has been ruled against.

According to Time:

Following two weeks of pre-trial testimony, Judge Susan Barthle ruled against Curtis Reeves’ claims that he used his gun in self-defense when he fired his weapon, CNN reports.

“Because the defendant’s testimony was significantly at odds with the physical evidence and other witness testimony, this court has considerable doubts about his credibility, and is not willing to come to the conclusion that these circumstances are those envisioned by the Legislature when the ‘stand your ground’ law was enacted,” Barthle said, according to CNN.

In Jan. 2014, Reeves, then 71, shot Chad Oulson, 43, in a suburban Tampa movie theater after the men engaged in an argument over Oulson’s texting during a movie preview. In response to Reeves’ complaints, Oulson threw his bag of popcorn at Reeves, who in turn took out his handgun and fired on Oulson, killing him.

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