Report: Slain man was not texting in movie theater

TAMPA, Fla. — New documents obtained this week show that the victim of a fatal movie theater shooting was not texting, as originally thought.

And, the attorney for shooting suspect Curtis Reeves Jr. says new information about the victim shows a rush to judgment against his client.

Reeves , 71, is charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 13 shooting of Chad Oulson, 43, of Land O'Lakes, Fla., inside a 16-screen movie theater in Wesley Chapel, Fla.

Documents obtained by WTVT-TVshow that Oulson was not texting his daughter, which contradicts earlier information suggesting that Reeves shot Oulson because he was texting.

"It's relevant because the media grabbed this story," said Reeves' attorney, Richard Escobar. "And this story, at the inception, had facts that were not correct."

Authorities said Reeves became upset when Oulson, sitting in front of Reeves, was texting during movie previews. They later said Oulson was texting his daughter's babysitter and that Reeves had texted his son, a Tampa police officer, moments before the fatal confrontation to tell him that he and his wife were inside.

Reeves' son, Matthew, heard but did not see the gunshot as he entered the darkened theater then used another customer's T-shirt to try to staunch the bleeding from Oulson's chest wound, he told investigators. The bullet also grazed the hand of Oulson's wife, Nicole.

Curtis Reeves, a 27-year-veteran of the Tampa Police Department, has claimed the shooting was in self-defense, that Oulson hit him with an unknown object before he drew his gun and he feared an attack.

The new documents show detectives even checked with his daughter's daycare to see if maybe they communicated through Facebook. The daycare said staff members don't use social media to communicate with parents for security reasons.

"He was playing with his phone, not texting," Escobar said.