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Day 2 of jury selection in Curtis Reeves theater shooting trial
Gloria Gomez reports
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - Walking gingerly and using a cane, Curtis Reeves got to the courthouse bright and early on the second day of jury selection for his trial. After an eight-year delay, the 79-year-old’s day in court has finally come.
Lawyers were in the process Tuesday of picking a jury and legal experts say this is where a case could be won or lost.
Defense attorney Anthony Rickman, who is not involved with the case, believes the prosecution and the defense are looking for two different types of jurors.
"The defense attorney, they are looking for a juror who has experience in guns and is prepared to defend themselves with a weapon, if necessary," Rickman explained.
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Day 1: Jury selection begins in movie theater shooting trial
The trial of Curtis Reeves has finally arrived and jury selection is expected to take about a week.
MORE: Curtis Reeves trial begins eight years after deadly Pasco County theater shooting
He says prosecutors are looking for jurors who don’t like confrontation., may not own a gun, and look to police for help to resolve a dispute – which could become confusing considering the defendant is a former Tampa Police Department captain.
It was back in 2014 when investigators say that defendant, Curtis Reeves, and another moviegoer, Chad Oulson got into an argument over Oulson using his cell phone inside a Wesley Chapel movie theater.
Investigators say Oulson threw popcorn before Reeves pulled out a gun and fired a shot.
Reeves said he feared for his life and had no choice but to shoot Oulson.
During a ‘stand your ground’ hearing in 2017, Reeves said it was self-defense.
"He was getting ready to punch me at some point and that’s when the pistol came out and I shot him," testified Reeves.
But the judge did not grant him immunity.
Now, in 2022, Reeves' defense team hopes to convince the jury he had a reasonable fear of eminent danger or death. Prosecutors will try to prove the opposite.
Jury selection resumes Wednesday.