Curtis Reeves "Stand your Ground" case: Immunity denied for Fla. movie theater shooter
PASCO COUNTY, Fla. -- A Florida man will face trial in the fatal 2014 shooting of a fellow moviegoer after an argument over texting.
Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge Susan Barthle denied Curtis Reeves’ motion to apply Florida’s “Stand your Ground” law to the case, reports CBS affiliate WTSP.
Reeves, now 74, faces a charge of second-degree murder for shooting Chad Oulson on Jan. 13, 2014 in a Pasco County movie theater. Reeves had invoked Florida’s controversial “Stand your Ground” law, claiming he shot Oulson in self-defense.
Barthle wrote in her order released Friday that Reeves was not justified in using deadly force to prevent death or great bodily harm, one of the three factors necessary for deciding whether Reeves would have been immune from prosecution under the statute. The case will now head to trial.
During the hearing, Reeves testified that Oulson had attacked him and he was in fear for his life.
“At that point, it was his life or mine,” Reeves said.