On January 13, 2014, Chad Oulson, a 43-year-old Gulf War veteran, was fatally shot inside a Cobb movie theater in Wesley Chapel, Florida during the previews for Lone Survivor. Oulson was attending the showing with his wife, Nicole Oulson. An argument began after Oulson used his cell phone to text his daughter’s daycare; a man seated behind them, 71-year-old retired SWAT commander Curtis Reeves, asked him to turn off the phone. The exchange escalated when Oulson threw popcorn toward Reeves; Reeves then produced a .380 caliber handgun and shot Oulson in the chest.

Nicole Oulson suffered a separate finger injury in the incident. Reeves was arrested at the scene and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated battery. The case drew national attention and a contentious legal fight over Florida’s Stand Your Ground law; Reeves’ defense argued he felt threatened, while prosecutors said his response was unjustified.

The Oulson Family later established a foundation to help children affected by gun violence.