Since my last entry generated so much interest and so many questions I want to dedicate this week's entry to addressing the excellent questions that were raised. Before I get into your questions I'd like all of you to take a look at the video below. Since my last posting the judge in the case has released the video of the crime as it occurred.
As you can see from the video above the murder of Chad Oulsen was captured on the movie theater's surveillance system. Although the video is grainy it appears that there is some sort of confrontation followed by what is believed to be Mr. Oulsen throwing popcorn on Mr. Reeves. This is immediately followed by Mr. Reeves firing one round into Mr. Oulsen. Now after seeing this video my first question to all of you is, does this change your opinion on this incident. As you can see the shot fired from Mr. Reeves is almost simultaneous with Mr. Oulsen's actions. This leads me to believe that Mr. Reeves had his hand on his gun before Mr. Oulsen's action. As a trained police officer it is my opinion that Mr. Reeves had to have had his hand on his gun before Mr. Oulsen threw popcorn on him. With that in mind I have an even more difficult time believing Mr. Reeves claims that he acted in self-defense. I think this video shows that Mr. Reeves actions were pre-meditated, even if for just a split second. It is clear that what took place was some kind of verbal argument which led to Mr. Oulsen throwing popcorn on Mr. Reeves. It appears that when the two men started arguing Mr. Reeves readied his weapon. Now, that in and of itself is not wrong nor is it illegal. However his over-reaction to what took place next is why this murder occurred and why Mr. Reeves is still in jail today.
I'd now like to take a moment and address some issues that were brought up in last weeks post. As we continue to see violence spike in this country one of my readers asked why someone would need to bring a gun into a movie theater. Well after reading this blog and after the recent violence at movie theaters I hope that question has been answered. I will tell you that as an officer I bring my gun everywhere I go. For me that hasn't always been the case. However with the violence that has overtaken our country I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not be a victim to some criminal. I will continue to carry my gun whether it is to the grocery store, movie theater or restaurant. I will not allow myself or my family to fall victim to the plight of some criminal element. If I can make a difference I will defend myself and other civilians, who without my intervention may become victims. Now I'm sure there are those out there that would question my need to bring a gun everywhere I go. I in turn would ask each of you that if you were faced with a life and death situation and there was a police officer nearby wouldn't you hope that he brought his weapon with him?
As I read your comments from last week I was certainly surprised that several of you have had run-ins at a movie theater. As should have happened in this case, most people either move seats or leave the theater completely. I think we would all agree that nothing is worth what occurred in this case. There is no text message, no disrespectful act, or petty argument that should lead to the outcome that happened in this case. Isn't it sad that we are unable to go back in time and show both men what resulted from their actions. Unfortunately this is not possible and both families will forever be forced to live with the consequences of this confrontation.
I'd like to leave all of you with the following. Knowing what we know about this incident and other similar incidents around the country do you think it is time for comprehensive gun reform? If you do not believe that we have reached the point where we need to limit access to guns, is there a point where you would say enough is enough? I for one can tell you that my thinking changed after the Sandy Hook school shooting. The families in that community endured something that no one should have to endure. If we aren't willing to change the way we think about guns after that incident, what will it take?
Hope you all have an excellent week, thank you again for reading my blog.
I'd now like to take a moment and address some issues that were brought up in last weeks post. As we continue to see violence spike in this country one of my readers asked why someone would need to bring a gun into a movie theater. Well after reading this blog and after the recent violence at movie theaters I hope that question has been answered. I will tell you that as an officer I bring my gun everywhere I go. For me that hasn't always been the case. However with the violence that has overtaken our country I have resigned myself to the fact that I will not be a victim to some criminal. I will continue to carry my gun whether it is to the grocery store, movie theater or restaurant. I will not allow myself or my family to fall victim to the plight of some criminal element. If I can make a difference I will defend myself and other civilians, who without my intervention may become victims. Now I'm sure there are those out there that would question my need to bring a gun everywhere I go. I in turn would ask each of you that if you were faced with a life and death situation and there was a police officer nearby wouldn't you hope that he brought his weapon with him?
As I read your comments from last week I was certainly surprised that several of you have had run-ins at a movie theater. As should have happened in this case, most people either move seats or leave the theater completely. I think we would all agree that nothing is worth what occurred in this case. There is no text message, no disrespectful act, or petty argument that should lead to the outcome that happened in this case. Isn't it sad that we are unable to go back in time and show both men what resulted from their actions. Unfortunately this is not possible and both families will forever be forced to live with the consequences of this confrontation.
Hope you all have an excellent week, thank you again for reading my blog.
Really enjoy reading your blog, once again you have provided some insightful information and thoughtful questions to ponder. Even after seeing the newly released video I still believe there was a major overreaction on the part of Mr. Reeves, using gunfire as a response to popcorn being thrown is just not a viable argument for self-defense. I think you raised a valid point, even though the gunshot was immediately following if not simultaneous to the popcorn being thrown the fact still remains that the gunman appeared to be ready with his gun before the confrontation escalated. If he was that concerned about his safety to the point where he felt the need to ready his weapon why didn’t he leave the theater again and stay out until management or other authorities removed the patron that he felt was causing a disturbance? Seems like a case of allowing his ego to decide that he would take care of it himself rather than wait for help and he just went way too far. Although I understand your point about the overall increase in violence influencing the decision to carry a weapon everywhere for protection I think it becomes more complicated and dangerous when ordinary and edgy citizens gallivant uninhibitedly with weapons especially those who may not be as well trained or up-to-date in training as officers. I would certainly be grateful for the presence of an armed officer if I am ever in a life-threatening situation, what is so unfortunate in this case is that this perpetrator was a former officer so you would expect his first reaction to be the protection of others not immediate and unjustified deadly force. This situation is yet another glaring example of the need for gun reform.
ReplyDeleteAnthony,
ReplyDeleteAnother great topic to discuss. You know the state of South Carolina, where I am from, just allowed guns to be brought into public establishments. So now there are several local businesses that are now posting signs prohibiting concealed weapons on there property. As much I have been supportive of the right to bare arms, I have to tell you there are more situations that happen daily that make me rethink that stance. This murder at the movie theater was an unfortunate series of events. You want to believe that “cool heads will prevail” however adding guns to a situations only escalates things. Did the victim provoke the man to take violent actions? Good question, I am interested to see what happens with this case.
Anthony, well done recap. I completely agree with you that there is a lot going on with the world today. The city of Orlando has a higher than average serious crime rate. Although I am no longer in law enforcement I am a CCW permit holder and have been for years. In the past I have only had it in the car in a locked box to prevent my daughter from accidentally discharging the weapon. I don't know if the situation is more dire because of the economy but locally crime has fallen a tad, but increased dramatically overall since 2008. There was a serious bump in 2011/12, enough to worry me and I am not an alarmist. During the past year, I have decided to carry with me whenever possible. I do follow the suggestions on carrying in theaters, banks, Starbucks, etc.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned last week that this is certainly a case with a different dynamic than others in recent history. This man was trained in many aspects including levels of force. Most of the other gun incidents differ dramatically. They are usually emotionally disturbed people who most likely obtain their weapons by illegal means. Since many of these people intend to take their own lives before the police get them what incentive do they have for submitting to legal means of gun ownership? Knowing how many are copycat crimes is probably nearly impossible since most do commit suicide and therefore cannot provide any background on their thought processes. It seems that each one intends to do something never before achieved, to break the record it so-to-speak. I feel that the reform needs to be on how the media responds to these situations and mental health assessments. We should spend our efforts working to find identify the root cause. Today I read that a man robbed a 7-11 with a chainsaw! Even the toughest laws in states like Hawaii would have allowed an ex-officer to carry.
Without a doubt gun use certainly raises the stakes in crime and defense. In the general scheme of things we are in the alarm state of the public crisis cycle. Sometimes the most sensible thing to do is nothing at all until solutions can be presented in a rational manner. A while back I went into a gun store to get ammo and presented my retired military ID. I was seriously asked if I had PTSD issues. Although I felt it was asked out of curiosity rather than a requirement I left wondering if I did, would I admit it? If I felt like I had issues, would I seek treatment considering that sort of sigma could infringe on my individual rights? I am pretty sure if I were cracking up I would impose my own limitations and stop carrying, but I am not nuts yet.
Jeff
I think having a gun readily available gives people balls that normally would have cowered in a corner. Having a gun makes you feel invincible; all of a sudden you become someone who is willing to confront folks, quick to flex your muscles instead of using verbal communication and in essence become a bully. Of course everyone who carries a weapon does not transform into this type of person but in a lot of cases they do. I think we need stricter gun laws however I honestly don’t know how much that would help. In a lot of crimes where guns were used the gun did not belong to the person committing the crime of they did not obtain it legally. I don’t think that guns are the issue. I think hotheaded people with guns are the issue. I have been in a few situations where when it was over I said “It’s a good thing I didn’t have my gun” because I would probably be in jail right now.
ReplyDeleteAnthony,
ReplyDeleteI think your analysis of the video was very astute. It would appear that the shooter anticipated drawing his weapon even before he was confronted by the victim. And that shows premeditation. And what’s more is that perpetrator in this case is a retired officer. He should know better than the way he reacted in the situation. Gun violence has become more rampant in recent years. Your entry about the case in Florida is a great example of the attitude of entitlement that a lot of people have when it comes to gun ownership. They forget that carrying around a weapon is a privilege and that it must be treated as such. Although it is our constitutional right to bare arms, I believe that it’s time for a comprehensive gun reform. There has to be some sort of process that is set in place that requires gun owners to be evaluated every few years in order to keep their weapons. Also, there should be a better way for evaluating an individual for their initial ownership of weapons should be more stringent so that legal weapons don’t fall into the hands of irresponsible owners.
Thank you for sharing this week Anthony.
ReplyDeleteI too take at least one firearm with me wherever I go. People ask why I carry a gun off duty to places like the bank and the movies and my answer is that I don’t want to be the one without one. Everyone has a gun, legal or illegal, and if we do not do everything we can do to ensure that we will not be victims then we have lost. In our current state of affairs our police officers are over worked and under paid and cannot be everywhere at once.
The shooting that you refer to took place in a county with a population of 470,000 people and a land area of 750 square miles. The county is broken up into three districts and the amount of patrol deputies on the road at a given time hovers somewhere around 50. This doesn’t include other units but this is a reflective number of the units dedicated to responding to calls for service.
I bring this information up because as you can see each deputy is responsible for 12-15 miles of area each and 10,000 residents each. This doesn’t include those visiting or working in the county. As long as our resources are stretched as thin as they are I will continue to arm myself everywhere I go because who knows when the police will be available to assist me in an emergency.