Chad Oulson, a Gulf War veteran who died in a tragic miscommunication, was told by A+E Network's 'Taking the Stand' season 2 episode 4 how the perpetrator was instantly apprehended. However, the investigation proved to be quite difficult as the killer tried defending himself with the help of an unusual law.
What Was the Cause of Chad Oulson's Death?
Chad Oulson was born on September 28, 1970, in Clayton, Illinois, and joined the military after graduating high school. During the Gulf War, he was a participant in Operation Desert Storm, and after retiring, he worked as a finance manager at Sky Power Sports in Port Richey, Florida.
Chad's enticing qualities made his sudden passing all the more difficult for his friends and family. On January 13, 2014, he and his wife, Nicole Oulson, decided to go to the Grove 16, a movie theater in Wesley Chapel, a Tampa Bay area suburb, to watch 'Lone Survivor.'
When Chad was shot in the chest, Nicole wounded his finger. The 42-year-old victim was immediately transported to the hospital.
Chad Oulson, who killed him, is unknown.
Curtis Reeves Jr., a retired SWAT officer who served in Afghanistan, was identified as the perpetrator of Chad's shooting. According to witnesses and surveillance footage, the former started texting on his phone during movie previews.
A small argument erupted when Curtis went outside to complain to the theater staff, but when he returned to his seat, more heated words followed, and the victim threw popcorn at him. Within a blink of a second, the retired law enforcement officer took out his.380 caliber handgun and fired it once at Chad. Nicole, trying to keep her husband under control, was hit by the bullet on her finger.
Curtis, 71, was quick identified and admitted to police that he shot Chad in self-defense, while the latter was apparently surprised by what he had done. During a court appearance the following day, Curtis claimed that he felt threatened by Chad and had taken out his handgun in retaliation for throwing an object at his face. According to him, the victim was unaware that it was popcorn.
Curtis denied that he shot and killed an army veteran in self-defense. He pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated battery (for hurting Nicole) and was freed until a further hearing under Florida's Stand Your Ground law.
Curtis was arrested in July 2014 after posting a $150,000 bail, only permitted to go outside for groceries, medical treatment, or religious services, and was required to surrender all his firearms to the state.
The court reviewed the surveillance footage from the cinema hall in 2017 and determined that Chad threw popcorn, not a cellphone, as claimed, at Curtis. Not only that, the judge felt that the video did not support the former police officer's claims of being physically threatened by the victim. The medical examiner's testimony stated that Curtis was never hurt in the eye.
Curtis Reeves, where is he today?
Curtis Reeves was denied from using the Stand-Your-Ground law in his defense, causing him to go to trial. Following many delays, the trial was scheduled for early 2022. Despite being denied utilizing the special law, his defense lawyers successfully established that he shot Chad Oulson in self-defense. The victim tossed popcorn at Curtis made him realize he was being shot.
The prosecution argued that given the difficult situations that the former policeman may have encountered in his career, it was unrealistic for him to be afraid of such a minor incident and consider it a threat significant enough to shoot the victim. Eventually, Chad's widow decided to keep her husband's legacy alive.
Nicole founded the Oulson Family Foundation, which provides financial and medical assistance to children affected by gun violence in an interview with ABC News, but maintained that he was not the perpetrator. "I wish that none of this would have happened, but I don't feel like an instigator," he said.
"It was something that I had no control over." Curtis said. "It was the only one who could have prevented it from happening...Certainly none of us, and I'm sure on both sides of the families, none of us would wish it had happened as it did."
