Page 38 - Florida Sentinel 2-18-22

Crime 2014 Movie Theater Murder Trial Underway
Tampa Man Shoots Wife Then Himself On I-75
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Monday, the murder trial of retired Tampa Police Captain Curtis Reeves began in Pasco County. Reeves was charged with second-degree murder after he shot and killed a man while in a movie theater. The family of the deceased man has been waiting eight years for the murder trial to take place.
On the night of January 13, 2014, Reeves and his wife sat behind 43-year-old Chad Oulson and his wife in the movie theater. The two men became engaged in an argument after Reeves no- ticed that Oulson was tex- ting on his cell phone. Reeves left and complained to the manager, but returned and took the same seat.
The two men began argu- ing again and Oulson is al- leged to have thrown popcorn at Reeves. Reeves, who is now 79-
CHAD AND NICOLE OULSON
years-old, pulled his handgun and shot Oulson. Oulson died of his injuries.
He was survived by his wife, Nicole, and their daughter.
Attorneys for Reeves were unsuccessful in their bid for a stand-your-ground plea and the trial was also delayed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
One of the witnesses for the prosecution called was Ms. Nicole Oulson, who relived how she had placed her hand in front of her hus-
CURTIS REEVES
band to deescalate the situa- tion. Moments later, she said, the bullet tore into her finger, nearly severing it, before en- tering her husband’s chest. She has undergone several surgeries to repair the dam- age.
The jury consists of four men and two women. The trial is being held in Dade City.
Girl Injured After Fall From Ride At Fair
Last Saturday night, a young girl was injured after falling from a gondola ride at the Florida State Fair.
She is recovering from her injuries.
A 28-year-old woman forced off Interstate 75 by her husband, was taken from her car on Tuesday af- ternoon and later found se- riously injured from multiple gunshot wounds, Florida Highway Patrol stated.
Gregory Smalls, 31, the husband of the woman, was found next to her early Wednesday morning. FHP reports Smalls had a fatal gunshot wound that ap- peared to be self-inflicted.
At 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, troopers responded to a re- port of a shooting on the northbound exit to State Road 574 on I-75.
FHP found a black 2017 Infiniti QX60 that had been
forced off the highway into a ditch by Smalls, who was the driver of a white 2006 Honda Pilot.
Smalls then exited the Honda, shot into the Infiniti several times, and forcibly removed the driver, who troopers later determined was his wife.
Smalls forced the woman into the Honda and drove south to Ellenton Pre- mium Outlets. Law enforce- ment searched for the pair and found them in the overnight hours in a tree line near the mall.
The woman had several gunshot wounds and was taken to a nearby hospital in serious condition, troopers said.
Reward Offered For Information In
Fatal Shooting
According to the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office, on February 12, 2021, just after 8:40 p.m., three minors, all family members under the age of 10, were riding the gon- dola across the fairgrounds when a seven- year-old girl slipped under the safety bar and fell 35-40 feet down onto a grassy area.
Hillsborough County Sher- iff’s Office deputies and Hills- borough County Fire Rescue paramedics responded imme- diately to the scene and were able to take her to a local hos- pital with non-life threatening injuries (possible broken wrist).
After an investigation, HCSO detectives have deter- mined this to be an accident.
The gondola ride was shut down during the investiga- tion. It has since re-opened.
The St. Petersburg Police Department is currently in- vestigating their first murder of the year. It took place last Saturday.
According to the St. Pe- tersburg Police Department, around 3 a.m. on February 12th, officers responded to a traffic accident. However, when they arrived at the scene, they discovered that 26-year-old Demond Lamar Perry was suffering from gunshot wounds. When Perry was removed from the vehicle by Fire Rescue, he was suffering from severe burns as well. He was trans- ported to Tampa General Hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries.
Crime Stoppers is offering
DEMOND LAMAR PERRY
a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the ar- rests of anyone involved in the murder.
A tipster can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 873-TIPS or online at www.crimestoppersofpinel- las.org.
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