DADE CITY, Fla. — 5:45 p.m. update:
By the end of Monday, Nicole Oulson had spent several hours on the stand, answering questions from both the prosecution and defense. The state went moment-by-moment with Chad's widow, going through exactly what happened leading up to the shooting.
Nicole said everything happened very fast. When Curtis Reeves returned to the movie theater, she said that he said, "I see you put your phone away now that I went to get management."
She said this caused Chad to ask Reeves again, "What's your problem?"
Nicole added her husband then stood up to face Reeves. She said she started to stand up too, placing her left hand on Chad's shoulder.
While on the stand, Nicole described feeling embarrassed that the two men had started arguing in the theater. She says she remembers asking herself why the situation had continued to go on.
Once the two had stood up, Nicole said she heard a loud noise, followed by pain in her hand.
"It felt like my hand was on fire. It felt like my hand was blown off," Nicole described in response to Reeves shooting Chad and injuring her hand in the process.
"My finger was dangling and pretty much holding on by a string," Nicole said. Her injured finger was her left ring finger.
Nicole then described what happened after the shooting.
"Chad takes a couple of steps and he collapses."
When asked by the state if she was more concerned about her hand or her husband, Nicole replied, "My husband, he was in way worse shape than me."
Earlier during opening statements, the defense had said Chad stepped over the seats toward Reeves. Nicole says this never happened and that he only stood up from his seat before being shot.
In the moments after the shooting, Nicole said she tried to help her husband.
"I see his eyes are just glazed over and I knew in that moment," Nicole described. She said she tried to remain calm, asking Chad to "hang in there" while they got help.
3 p.m. update:
Nicole Oulson, the wife of Chad Oulson, has been called to the stand by the state. She was at the movie theater with her husband and was injured when Curtis Reeves shot Chad.
She says she was married to Chad for seven years prior to the shooting. The two share a daughter, Alexis, who was just under 2 years old at the time.
During questioning, Nicole was asked about her recollection of events. She says during the movie previews, people were chatting and still coming into the theater.
From the start of the conversation between Reeves and Oulson, she says Reeves wasn't pleasant.
"It was rude, it was demanding, it was like an order," Nicole described Reeves' initial request toward Chad to turn off his phone. "No excuse me, or would you mind? It was just matter of fact, you need to do this."
During opening statements, the defense described Chad as loud and said he had been cursing at Reeves. Nicole says that never happened.
According to Nicole, when Reeves said, "Do I need to go get management?" Chad responded by saying, "Do what you need to do."
Nicole adds shortly after Reeves left the theater to find management, Chad turned off his phone and held it in his lap.
12:30 p.m. update:
In the defense's turn to present an opening statement, attorneys say Curtis Reeves was a 27-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department. During his time as an officer, he received countless accolades and is described as being a well-respected individual.
In disputing the prosecution's statements, the defense says events at the movie theater unfolded differently. Lawyers describe Reeves as polite when asking Chad Oulson to put away his phone and throughout the entire event. The defense describes Oulson as "a loud guy who is cussing and ruining everyone's experience."
The defense adds Oulson came over his seat toward Reeves, which contradicts the state's explanation that Oulson stood up and turned around to face Reeves.
Defense attorneys also cite the process of how evidence and witness statements were handled right after the shooting. Lawyers say witnesses wrote their statements together, giving Reeves an unfair chance at having events recounted accurately.
When it comes to the question of if Reeves was even allowed to have a firearm in the movie theater, the defense says yes. Attorneys cite the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which allows qualified police officers, retired included, to conceal carry a firearm in any jurisdiction regardless of state and local laws.
10:30 a.m. update:
During opening statements, the prosecution went through the series of events that unfolded, leading up to the shooting and killing of Chad Oulson.
Prior to the shooting, there was a point where Curtis Reeves got up and left the theater to file a complaint with management about Oulson being on his phone. When Reeves returned to the theater, the state says Oulson had turned off his phone. Reeves continued to engage with Oulson.
After the shooting, witnesses in the theater gave statements to police, including an account from Reeves. According to Reeves, Oulson had climbed over the seat separating the two and was practically on top of Reeves. The state adds that Reeves' statement does not align with what witnesses saw.
The state also highlighted Reeves' fitness. When Reeves left the theater, he did not use a cane, walker, or wheelchair. He also has 20/20 vision with his glasses. When the shooting happened, the state describes Reeves as moving very quickly, pulling his firearm out and lunging forward at Oulson.
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Curtis Reeves is back in court for the second week as opening statements begin in his trial.
Last week, Judge Susan Barthle, along with the defense and prosecution, worked to select six jurors and four alternates from a pool of 115 potential jurors. The jury is made up of five men and five women. The jurors will not know who the alternates are until it is time for deliberation.
On Friday, Barthle spent the day hearing any last-minute motions from the defense and the state.
In 2014, Reeves shot and killed Chad Oulson in a Wesley Chapel movie theater after Oulson had been texting on his phone during movie previews. Nicole Oulson, Chad's wife, was also at the theater and tried to shield her husband, causing her hand to be partially shot.
Nicole was in court Monday for the first time since the start of the trial.
Reeves faces charges of second-degree murder and aggravated battery. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 25 years in prison for second-degree murder with a firearm.