man who murdered fellow theatergoer over texting....was ALSO texting

[sio]

Curtis Reeves’s son was late. So, at 1:04 p.m. on Jan. 13, Mr. Reeves, a retired police officer, sent his son a text, telling him that he and his wife had gone into the movie theater and were seated.

Not so unusual - except that, just minutes later, Reeves shot to death another theatergoer when the man refused to stop texting during the movie

Comments

[bnmc2005]

"No one gets shot "because of texting." They get shot because the shooter has a mental health problem."

-Paula Poundstone

[fluorescenta]

does the shooter have mental health problems

[jeweledvixen]

Really? Has anyone said that the shooter has a mental health problem? Having a mental health problem is not a prerequisite for murdering someone.

[zinnia_rose]

The shooter may or may not have mental heath problems, which may or may not have contributed to the shooting. He also might just be a violent asshole.

re: mental health problems

[bnmc2005]

I honestly don't know. It seems to me that someone who would shoot someone over that kind of an incident has some serious issues of some kind, but I mainly just like the quote because of how it turns the emphasis away from blaming the victim- which is what most of the headlines are doing in a way.

ETA: Which isn't to say that he isn't or couldn't also be a "violent asshole" and shouldn't be held accountable for his actions.