Man Killed During Argument Over Texting at Movie Theater:
shortformblog:
He was shot and killed for texting during the previews—not the movie itself, the previews.
Two couples were among patrons at a matinee of “Lone Survivor” at the Grove 16 movie theater in Wesley Chapel, about 20 miles northeast of Tampa, when one of the men, a retired Tampa police officer, got angry because the man in front of him was using his phone during the previews, despite being asked to stop several times, said Douglas Tobin, a Pasco County sheriff’s office spokesman.
A witness told local television stations that the offended man stormed out to get a manager, but returned without one. The man using the phone explained to the irritated man that he was simply texting his 3-year-old daughter, the witness, Charles Cummings, told Tampa’s FOX 13 television.
“Three seconds, four seconds later, the argument starts again,” Mr. Cummings told reporters outside the theater. “Their voices start going up; there seems to be almost a confrontation. Somebody throws popcorn, I’m not sure who threw the popcorn, and, bang, he was shot.”
Texting is annoying, but shooting someone in a movie theater is far worse.
You know, I wonder why every news media outlet is reporting this as
"shot for texting at a movie"
rather than
"deranged retired cop murders movie theater patron"
Is the fact that the victim was using his phone during movie previews more of a concern to the public?