Tampa theater shooting by ex-police captain

[AZRedhawk44]

If you complained about the poor experience I wonder if the theater management would comp you or give you a free pass for another day?

Usually.  I've only done it maybe twice in my life, but both times I got comped tickets to return to a different showing.

[fifth_column]

It appears that the former police captain may have failed to utilize any de-escalation skills he had picked up along the way. I wonder if he instead of making a request nicely made the request using his command voice. It may not work as well when out of uniform. Regardless, he should be held to a higher standard of behavior instead of being just given the benefit of the doubt as a former LEO.

IMHO the best way to deal with cell phones in theaters is by not going to theaters  

If you complained about the poor experience I wonder if the theater management would comp you or give you a free pass for another day?

Not to mention that he darn well could have sat somewhere else, away from the offensive texter, after leaving the theater to complain to management.

[Hawkmoon]

It appears that the former police captain may have failed to utilize any de-escalation skills he had picked up along the way. I wonder if he instead of making a request nicely made the request using his command voice. It may not work as well when out of uniform. Regardless, he should be held to a higher standard of behavior instead of being just given the benefit of the doubt as a former LEO.

My first thought after reading about this incident was to wonder if he was the kind of cop you hope never to encounter as a generally law-abiding citizen.

IMHO the best way to deal with cell phones in theaters is by not going to theaters  

Agreed.

[Jamisjockey]

Not to mention that he darn well could have sat somewhere else, away from the offensive texter, after leaving the theater to complain to management.

IMHO this is part of what's wrong with society.  He had a right to sit there.  Did the younger man really assault him is the question.
Good shoot? Doubt it.  But this whole thing is being made into more than it is.
Old man had the right to be there.  Younger man probably got in his face after tossing popcorn.  He overreacted and shot him, thinking he would be assaulted (or after having been assaulted).
Duty to retreat is an idea that should die a fast painful death.
And just to clarify, I mean that in this fashion.
If the guy had said "you come back and I'll kill you", well then, we know that coming back will result in an escalation of force.
But, if he didn't expect to be assaulted for returning to the seat he had held before, then how is he wrong to do so?

[Tallpine]

Never bring popcorn to a gun fight 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I had a master chief roomate who was oretty used to being in charge. It caused conflicts in his life. You get 2 guys who are like that in front of their wives it gets tricky fast. Guy shot was a big feller . Sometimes thats good sometimes not

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

[fifth_column]

IMHO this is part of what's wrong with society.  He had a right to sit there.  Did the younger man really assault him is the question.
Good shoot? Doubt it.  But this whole thing is being made into more than it is.
Old man had the right to be there.  Younger man probably got in his face after tossing popcorn.  He overreacted and shot him, thinking he would be assaulted (or after having been assaulted).
Duty to retreat is an idea that should die a fast painful death.
And just to clarify, I mean that in this fashion.
If the guy had said "you come back and I'll kill you", well then, we know that coming back will result in an escalation of force.
But, if he didn't expect to be assaulted for returning to the seat he had held before, then how is he wrong to do so?

From reading the article I got the impression the altercation occurred after the shooter left to complain.  I got the impression the shooter left the theater, complained to the manager, was told there wasn't anything to be done about it, returned to the theater in a huff, and decided to fix the situation himself.  Unless there was standing room only, I don't see why he couldn't have just sat somewhere away from the annoying guy with the cell phone.  I don't see any purpose being served by confronting somebody for what is not much more than an annoyance.  This isn't about duty to retreat, it's about effectively dealing with one's emotional response to something they find annoying.  It's about coping mechanisms, not personal rights.

I realize my timeline makes assumptions, and they may be inaccurate.  I'm just explaining my thought process.

[Sergeant Bob]

From reading the article I got the impression the altercation occurred after the shooter left to complain.  I got the impression the shooter left the theater, complained to the manager, was told there wasn't anything to be done about it, returned to the theater in a huff, and decided to fix the situation himself.  Unless there was standing room only, I don't see why he couldn't have just sat somewhere away from the annoying guy with the cell phone.  I don't see any purpose being served by confronting somebody for what is not much more than an annoyance.  This isn't about duty to retreat, it's about effectively dealing with one's emotional response to something they find annoying.  It's about coping mechanisms, not personal rights.

I realize my timeline makes assumptions, and they may be inaccurate.  I'm just explaining my thought process.

Your assumptions (based on the article) are pretty much in line with mine (based on the article).

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

He never got to talk to manager

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

[vaskidmark]

No, the way to deal with cell phone use in theaters (and other places where use in inappropriate) is for staff to be aware and assertive in instructing the rude cell phone user to cease or depart.

A few restaurants around me have started asking parents of unruly children to leave, rather than go to a flat "No Kids" rule.  They will box up your meal if you were in the middle.  One even offers a 15% discount to parents who remove the family; they offer 50% off to parents who take their kids outside to settle down and then return to finish the meal.  They also will take the plate somewhere and keep it warm (I know it's not the kitchen  because health laws say they can't do that).

Setting a standard of behavior and enforcing it not only deals with the immediate rudeness but lets the rest of the audience know management is pretending to care about them.  As most of the movie palaces around here have hired security the onus of dealing with the rude behavior does not have to fall on the teenage "usher".

stay safe.

[Hawkmoon]

From reading the article I got the impression the altercation occurred after the shooter left to complain.  I got the impression the shooter left the theater, complained to the manager, was told there wasn't anything to be done about it, returned to the theater in a huff, and decided to fix the situation himself.  Unless there was standing room only, I don't see why he couldn't have just sat somewhere away from the annoying guy with the cell phone.  I don't see any purpose being served by confronting somebody for what is not much more than an annoyance.  This isn't about duty to retreat, it's about effectively dealing with one's emotional response to something they find annoying.  It's about coping mechanisms, not personal rights.

I realize my timeline makes assumptions, and they may be inaccurate.  I'm just explaining my thought process.

On the other hand, maybe the guy texting in the darkened theater should have played by the rules and not been texting in a darkened theater. HE could easily have stepped out to the lobby or the mens room to check in at home. He could easily have said, "Oops, sorry" when the retired cop asked him to stop -- but he didn't. I am not saying that texting in a theater should be a capital offense, but the "victim" was not exactly blameless.

[RoadKingLarry]

No, the way to deal with cell phone use in theaters (and other places where use in inappropriate) is for staff to be aware and assertive in instructing the rude cell phone user to cease or depart.

FTFY. The offender already knew they were in the wrong.

[Northwoods]

FTFY. The offender already knew they were in the wrong.

Had the movie started, or was it still the eternity of adds and previews?  If the previews had started he should have stopped texting, but it's not that big of a deal - it's not the actual movie yet. Rude, but come on.  If it was still during the adds, there was no reason for him to expect trouble over texting as the lights are usually not off yet anyway.

[fifth_column]

On the other hand, maybe the guy texting in the darkened theater should have played by the rules and not been texting in a darkened theater. HE could easily have stepped out to the lobby or the mens room to check in at home. He could easily have said, "Oops, sorry" when the retired cop asked him to stop -- but he didn't. I am not saying that texting in a theater should be a capital offense, but the "victim" was not exactly blameless.

I agree completely.  The texter was in the wrong.  And I can understand why the shooter felt frustrated and angry.  I often react the same way to someone's rude behavior.  However, I have coping mechanisms in place that allow me to deal with my emotions without engaging in violent behavior.  Undoubtedly the shooter also had coping mechanisms, he just didn't utilize them at this point in time, which is commonly known as a mistake.  In this case it was a heinous, IMO completely avoidable, over-reaction.  The kind of mistake that often ruins a person's entire life . . .

[Devonai]

In general, I think texting is a boon to theaters.  It is a lot less distracting than a voice call, or if folks near you are taking the movie apart, MST3K-style.  However, some people don't seem to realize that they can silence all the bloops and bleeps that texting apps make, or that they can dim the screen so that it's less intrusive.

I wouldn't talk to the staff unless the person texting was causing other problems.  That being said, more active enforcement of the rules would be nice.

[Hawkmoon]

Personally, I think places like movie theaters and churches should be allowed to block cell phone transmissions. And that they should do it.

Growing up in a pre-cell phone universe, when I was a kid doctors who went to movies would tell their answering service what theater they were going to. If an emergency arose, the answering service would call the theater and have the doctor paged.

Simple.

Effective.

[Boomhauer]

Personally, I think places like movie theaters and churches should be allowed to block cell phone transmissions. And that they should do it.

Growing up in a pre-cell phone universe, when I was a kid doctors who went to movies would tell their answering service what theater they were going to. If an emergency arose, the answering service would call the theater and have the doctor paged.

Simple.

Effective.

Im not cool with having my comms jammed. Dont like that at all.

[Tallpine]

Im not cool with having my comms jammed. Dont like that at all.

Never been inside a metal sided building 

[Boomhauer]

Never been inside a metal sided building 

There is a difference between structural interference and purposeful jamming

[Tallpine]

There is a difference between structural interference and purposeful jamming

So build the theater out of metal on purpose 

[Jamisjockey]

Personally, I think places like movie theaters and churches should be allowed to block cell phone transmissions. And that they should do it.

Growing up in a pre-cell phone universe, when I was a kid doctors who went to movies would tell their answering service what theater they were going to. If an emergency arose, the answering service would call the theater and have the doctor paged.

Simple.

Effective.

Yeah because they should totally prevent patrons from receiving or making emergency phone calls.
Was with a couple at the movies a few years ago when their sitter called, their kid having a severe asthma attack was being rushed to the hospital by ambulance.
But yeah, because you old pharts grew up without cell phones, they're evil and they should totally be able to block those signals.

[Hawkmoon]

But yeah, because you old pharts grew up without cell phones, they're evil and they should totally be able to block those signals.

You're catching on, youngster. 

Solution: Tell sitter what theater you're going to, leave theater phone number on Post-It next to telephone.

[Boomhauer]

You're catching on, youngster. 

Solution: Tell sitter what theater you're going to, leave theater phone number on Post-It next to telephone.

Yes, because paging the entire theater during a movie is so much less interrupting than a text or phone call to an individual.

The real solution is of course to have actual ushers that eject the rude cell phone users from the theater

[RoadKingLarry]

I had to have another disccusion with my neighbor this afternoon. It's a group of young men living in the place to the west of mine  with at least one or two cabined up in the shop building (it's a tight, well insulated 24X40 structure that is pretty easy to heat and cool) I've gotten the idea tha the owner of the monster-mega subwoofer lives in the shop building. Seems he feels the need to play his "music*" loud enough that it will rattle the pictures on my walls from roughly 90-100' away.
No the actual property owner seems pretty apologetic about it and I'm not sure he is't a work when the loudness happens. I've used my truck horn to "accompany" their "music" twice and ater explaining why they had settled down for awhile.
The Mrs. reported that they woke her up a little after midnight Wed. night. This afternoon I took the big ole hand held airhorn off my boat and got their attention. One little shat offered to jump the fence and shove the airhorn up my arse. That could have probably gotten real ugly real quick** had not the property owner gotten him phsycally under control. I then explained the basics of common courtesy. 1. they were playing the stuf too loud and while they certainly had the right to play their tunes at a elevated volumne to some extent I also had a right to not have to listen to the bass beat rattle the pictures in my house. I also informed them that I had given them adequate chances to be good neighbors and future events betwen the hours of 10:00pm and 08:00am would net them a call to the sheriff's office on a noise complaint.
This evening it was promptly shut off or reduced to a level I can't hear it promptly at 10:00pm

**Yes I was armed as I always am when I'm not at work. No I will not accecpt a physical attack from a much younger individual as a fair fight.

* I'm guessing that it's actual music but all I've ever been able to hear is the bass.

What we have here is an example of entitlement sochiopaths bumping up against the reality of a curmudgeon that won't be pushed around. I've made several more or less nice attempts to end the problem, the next step is legal intervention. I kind of think they DO NOT want the cops up on the place after the last time.

[Jamisjockey]

Yes, because paging the entire theater during a movie is so much less interrupting than a text or phone call to an individual.

The real solution is of course to have actual ushers that eject the rude cell phone users from the theater

Boom.

Theatre is private property.  They can eject users for violating the code of conduct.