Shooting in Florida

[Michael]

I don't think it's too far off topic for such an old thread that is now following Z's girlfriend entanglements.

The abuser-victim idea sounds right. It's tough to break the pattern.

[Michael]

‘Stand your ground’ may apply in shooting death of Georgia man with Alzheimer’s
http://rt.com/usa/georgia-elderly-alzheimers-shooting-504/

Sad case. If you're not in danger, maybe stay inside or at least have a good flash light. Running out into the dark with a loaded gun is not a great idea.

[Steve James]

If the question is "why are some women attracted to bad boys," the people least likely to come up with rational explanations are men. That serial killers and mass murderers have groupies is well known. There's no single reason. Otoh, some women are attracted to priests.

[Steve James]

Running out into the dark with a loaded gun is not a great idea.

Killing someone is the bad idea. A 30-something shooting a 70-something is perfectly rational to some, even if he's outside the home. Anyway, the shooter feels badly about what he's done.

But, if your gps leads you to a house, call first before you go to the door The guy inside has the right to shoot you if you're on his porch.

[Michael]

Are you more attracted to priests or sociopaths?

[gzregorz]

I've noticed the phenomenon of ladies hooking up with guys with a dark side for as long as I can remember. In fact my cousin who is the sweetest lady in the world has this. She falls in love with Marines and cops and not just any but the type who act like they're always on duty. It is obvious to me that some ladies know they can't defend themselves and can easily be taken advantage of so a dude with a dark side (who is going to protect them) is their solution.

[windwalker]

"When you're involved with someone who is not a healthy match for you your own low self-esteem issues are pretty huge, the damage that can be done is still substantial

http://voices.yahoo.com/why-women-stay- ... 08649.html

this works both ways, Its not good for either side.
Not easy to get out of if a person is in this loop, its hard to see outside of it.
This is why its good to have a good support group and family who will actually
tell one what they see hopeing to help one see it themselves.

[Steve James]

Everybody has a dark side. That's why so many manage to hook up. I think it's important to distinguish between "bad boys" and psychopaths or sociopaths. Sociopaths are rarely "bad boys," and they hide in plain sight.

Now, the reason women tend to choose men who they feel can be of use, even for defense, may be locked in the genes. Otoh, women who go for men they know are psychopathic is more complicated. Why women (and some men) chose to hang out with and listen to Charles Manson has as much to do with Manson's charisma as with the women's desires or needs. Then, there are women who are physically abused by their husbands or boyfriends (which is by far more common than dating psychopaths or sociopaths) who don't leave for complicated reasons, like fear, the children, etc. But, I wouldn't say there are many women who want these types of relationships. Yeah, there are some masochists, but I think that alpha males are attractive to many females.

Afa serial killers getting dates and offers of marriage, in the one case I know of personally, the woman believes that the guy is innocent. To me, it seems more like a mothering complex. But, the guy just may be innocent. Anyway, imo, the woman who is looking for a relationship with someone she knows to be a remorseless killer is about as rare to find as a remorseless killer.

[Steve James]

Here's an example of the type of woman who might seek a psychopath:

A couple married for just three weeks lured a man to his death with a Craigslist ad because they wanted to kill someone together, police said.

Elytte Barbour told officers before his arrest Friday night that he and his wife, Miranda, had planned to kill before, but their plans never worked out until last month when Troy LaFerrara responded to an online posting that promised companionship in return for money, authorities said.

Elytte Barbour, 22, and Miranda Barbour, 18, face criminal homicide charges in LaFerrara's death. His body was found Nov. 12 in an alley in Sunbury, a small city about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The couple had recently moved to nearby Selinsgrove from North Carolina.

According to Sunbury police, Elytte Barbour told investigators he hid in the backseat of the couple's SUV as his wife picked up LaFerrara at a mall Nov. 11. He told police that, on his wife's signal, he wrapped a cord around LaFerrara's neck, restraining him while Miranda Barbour stabbed him.

The 42-year-old Port Trevorton man was stabbed 20 times, police said.

Miranda Barbour was charged Wednesday. She initially denied knowing LaFerrara, but her story evolved as investigators gathered evidence, including the discovery that the last call received by the victim's cellphone was made from her number, according to a police affidavit.

The affidavit said Miranda Barbour acknowledged meeting the victim in Selinsgrove and driving with him to Sunbury, where they parked. She said LaFerrara groped her and she took a knife from between the front seats and stabbed him after he put his hand around her throat, according to the affidavit.

Police said Miranda Barbour had told them she purchased cleaning supplies at a department store after stabbing LaFerrara, then picked up her husband and took him to a strip club for his birthday. On Friday, police said, Elytte Barbour told them he was the one who had purchased the cleaning products, an account investigators said was backed up by surveillance footage.

Following his wife's arrest, Elytte Barbour told The Daily Item of Sunbury that Miranda Barbour, whom he married Oct. 22, regularly hired herself out as a "companion" to men she met on various websites, a business venture he said he supported because it didn't involve sexual contact.

Barbour said his wife made anywhere from $50 to $850 by meeting with men for such activities as having dinner together or walking around a mall. The ads she placed on websites including Craigslist all said upfront that sex was not part of the deal, he said.

"She is not a prostitute," he said. "What she does is meet men who have broken marriages or have no one in their lives, and she meets with them and has delightful conversation."

Elytte Barbour didn't have an attorney at his arraignment Friday night. A phone message left for his wife's public defender early Saturday was not immediately returned.

Sunbury police Chief Steve Mazzeo told The Daily Item that investigators will also be looking into the death of a man with whom Miranda Barbour had a 1-year-old child. He would not elaborate.

http://news.msn.com/crime-justice/polic ... r-thrills/

Fortunately, I've never met one like her; but, I think they are few and far between, thankfully.

[Steve James]

Hmm, curioser and curioser.

George Zimmerman's girlfriend recants allegations he threatened her with gun
By Daniel Arkin, Staff Writer, NBC News

The woman who told Florida authorities in November that George Zimmerman threatened her with a gun during a heated argument recanted the allegations in documents released Monday — saying that she does not want him charged, according to a signed affidavit.
Samantha Scheibe, who refers to Zimmerman as her "boyfriend," said in a sworn statement obtained by NBC News that she felt intimidated when she was questioned by police about the Nov. 18 incident. The affidavit was attached to a motion by Zimmerman's attorney seeking to modify the conditions of her client's bond in his domestic violence case.

"I believe that the police misinterpreted me and that I may have misspoken about certain facts in my statement to the police. I do not feel that the arrest report accurately recounts what happened," she said.

Scheibe had told a 911 operator and deputies last month that she and Zimmerman were having a "verbal dispute" and she alleged that he pointed a long-barreled shotgun at her.

Zimmerman was arrested and later charged with felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal mischief, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. He was directed to stay away from Scheibe's residence, among other orders.
But in the affidavit released Monday, Scheibe said: "George never pointed a gun at or toward my face in a threatening manner."
In the 911 tapes released from the Nov. 18 incident, Zimmerman denied brandishing a weapon at his girlfriend.

In the affidavit, Scheibe goes on to say that she contacted Zimmerman's lawyer, Jayne Weintraub, "to ask if there is any way that the stay away order can be lifted so that we can talk and be together."

"I am not afraid of George in any manner and I want to be with him," Scheibe stated.

When reached for comment by NBC News, Florida State Attorney 18th Judicial Court spokeswoman Lynne Hooper said that the office received a copy of the affidavit and the "State Attorney will take it into consideration as the case enters its final review for a filing decision."
Seminole County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kim Cannaday declined to comment.

[gzregorz]

Florida is in the news again with another stand your ground case, the shooter claims he feared for his life.

Think twice before answering your young daughter's text in a movie theater.

One piece still missing from puzzle of fatal theater shooting: Why?

(CNN) -- In a dimly lit Florida theater, Curtis Reeves got into an argument with another moviegoer over texting. The two men exchanged words that gradually became more heated and Reeves felt something hit his face.

Reeves, who minutes earlier had gone to seek a manager's help to stop the texting, this time reached into a pocket in his pants for, police say, a pistol.

He later told police he feared the man was going to attack him.

Reeves, a former police officer, pulled a gun and shot once, hitting Chad Oulson in the chest and Oulson's wife, Nicole, in the hand she was using to grab her husband in an attempt to calm things down.

As the victim struggled to breathe and fell onto two other patrons, Reeves sat down. An off-duty deputy five seats over charged toward him and grabbed the gun, which had jammed.

Chad Oulson died later at a hospital. His wife's wound was considered non-life threatening.

The shooter's son -- an off-duty Tampa police officer -- was just arriving at theater 10. He had been delayed to his date with his father and his mother, and he had no idea his dad had just killed another man.

On Tuesday, Curtis Reeves, 71, made his first appearance in court for a charge of second-degree murder. Reeves' attorney, Richard Escobar, tried to persuade Circuit Judge Lynn Tepper that the former police officer was actually the victim in the incident and that Oulson was the "aggressor."

Police said despite Reeves' claim that he was in fear of his safety, this was not a case for Florida's "stand your ground" defense.

"Working with the state attorney's office it was determined that stand-your-ground does not fly here in this case," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said.

Authorities said a preliminary investigation had determined that there was no physical contact during the incident Monday afternoon at a theater in the Tampa suburb of Wesley Chapel. It was popcorn, thrown by Oulson, 43, that struck Reeves.

Sgt. Steve Greiner, the first Pasco County deputy to encounter Reeves, said the suspect was very calm as he sat in his chair. He had an almost distant stare toward the screen, Greiner said.

Reeves also stared silently into a closed-circuit camera Tuesday, listening to Escobar tell Tepper why his client should be granted bail.

Tepper said there was no evidence to support the claim that the shooter was a victim, according to a probable cause affidavit. She denied bond and ruled that Reeves should face the second-degree murder charge.

The judge addressed Reeves and asked him if he understood what had happened and that he was facing life in prison; Reeves said he did. Reeves' attorney then said that he and his client would speak in private, indicating that the former officer should not say anything in court.

Reeves wore a bullet-resistant vest. Nocco said it was for the defendant's safety.

An argument over texting, then a shot

The shooting happened Monday afternoon at the Grove 16 theater about 1:25 p.m. ET, just before an afternoon showing of "Lone Survivor," a film about a Navy SEAL mission.

Reeves was with his wife and sat behind Oulson and his wife, authorities said. Chad Oulson was using his cell phone and Reeves told him to put it away, according to police and witnesses.

The two men began to argue and Reeves walked out of the auditorium. Police said Reeves was going to complain to a theater employee. But Nocco told CNN on Tuesday night that the manager was busy with another customer and Reeves never addressed his complaint with a supervisor.

When Reeves returned, witnesses and authorities said that Oulson asked him if he had gone to tell on him for texting. Oulson reportedly said, in effect: I was just sending a message to my young daughter.

Police said Tuesday that Oulson was texting the daughter's babysitter.

Charles Cummings and his adult son were two seats away. Cummings said that when Reeves returned to the theater, there was no manager with him.

"He came back very irritated," Cummings recalled.

Voices were raised. Oulson threw a bag of popcorn at Reeves, police said. Then, the former police officer took out a .380 semi-automatic handgun and shot Oulson.

As Oulson staggered and fell, "He said, 'I can't believe I got shot,'" the younger Cummings recounted. "Blood started coming out of his mouth. I was trying to hold him up. He just fell down."

"I can't believe people would bring a pistol to a movie," said the elder Cummings, a Vietnam War veteran who was celebrating his birthday by spending the afternoon with his son.

Chaos in a theater

During Reeves' first appearance Tuesday, his attorney argued that Oulson was the "aggressor."

"It may or may not have been popcorn," Judge Tepper said, but an unknown object "does not equal" taking out a gun.

Witnesses told police they saw no punches being thrown during the incident, according to the report.

There were about 25 people in the movie theater. After the shooting, some tried to help Oulson and to make sure no other people were hurt.

An off-duty deputy sheriff from Sumter County rushed over to make sure no more shots were fired and that the shooter was not going to get up.

One of two nurses in the audience ran to Oulson's side and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. An autopsy will be conducted Tuesday.

A former cop and security worker

Reeves retired in 1993 as a captain with the police department in nearby Tampa. He also was director of security at Busch Gardens until 2005, a spokesman told CNN. Police told CNN that Reeves was instrumental in establishing the police department's first tactical response team.

Records released by the department indicate that he was often praised for his work ethic and leadership. Negative remarks were rare, such as a 1979 evaluation that said he had shown a temper when dealing with supervisors.

After court Tuesday, reporters circled Escobar as he headed to his car.

Escobar said that Reeves has "great credentials" and called him a "great man."

"Certain circumstances happened in that theater," the attorney said, and those details would come out at trial, he said.

"Mr. Reeves is certainly heartbroken," that someone lost their life, the lawyer said.

A neighbor told Bay News 9 that Reeves is a nice guy.

"Always smiling. I've never seen him angry," Bill Costas said. "If I needed help with something, he was always there."

Who is Curtis Reeves?

Who was the texting dad?

Chad Oulson was a former U.S. Navy petty officer, serving from 1990 to 1997, according to spokeswoman Lt. Richlyn Neal.

Tuesday morning, a woman who said she was Oulson's sister answered the door at his home in the Tampa suburb of Land O' Lakes, the Tampa Tribune reported.

She told a reporter that the family is in shock and declined to comment.

In the home's garage, the Tribune reporter said, a motocross motorcycle was on a stand next to a gold pickup truck and a child's wagon.

"He loved his job, loved his family, loved motocross, loved the motorcycle world," friend Joseph Detrapani told the newspaper. "He grew up riding motocross and loved to keep doing it, even at his age of 43, he's still out there every weekend riding."

Meanwhile, Cobb Theatres, which operates the Grove complex, released a statement: "This was an isolated altercation between two guests that escalated unexpectedly. The safety, security and comfort of our guests and team members are always our top priorities, and we are truly heartbroken by this incident."

A list of prohibited items and behavior in their theaters is on the theater website. On the list: no cell phone use, including texting, in the theater auditorium. And no weapons allowed.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/14/justice/f ... -shooting/

[Steve James]

Well, this is another sad story. His defense is going to be "self defense," of course. And, it wouldn't be a surprise if it worked, though I think that a jury will sympathize with the victims. I mean that, even though it was over a text, I can imagine someone going ballistic when he thinks he's in the right. Words can be violence, and almost always precede violence. So, it's usually a good idea to watch what you say, especially in places where everyone can be armed. In those places, "theater-rage," "job-rage," "school rage," "church-rage," "text-rage," "road-rage," etc., all present legitimate circumstances in which one can claim self-defense.

I think, just as in most cases, both sides could have quelled the whole thing. The victim could have left the room just out of consideration. The shooter could have moved to another seat, even if he shouldn't be expected to do. There is no good reason that one is dead and the other in jail. What a terrible f-ing story to tell the child when she grows up.

[gzregorz]

I hear FOX is calling it data rage.

The shooter's lawyer is saying the popcorn was a weapon.

There was another incident where the shooter got into a confrontation with a lady texting in a movie theater.

The judge didn't buy the Stand your ground argument, saying that getting popcorn thrown at you isn't reason to use deadly force.

[Michael]

getting popcorn thrown at you isn't reason to use deadly force.

Ah, he probably thought the guy was throwing skittles at 'im. Once you've crossed the skittles threshold, it's time to empty your clip. In self defense.

[grzegorz]

www.tmz.com/#Article/2014/02/04/george- ... -match-dmx