DADE CITY, Fla. — Friday saw testimony from two key individuals: Curtis Reeves' son, Matthew Reeves, and his daughter, Jennifer Shaw.
Matthew was in the theater at the time of the shooting and gave his version of events, which was different from what other witnesses have testified.
Jennifer spoke about her father's fragility, saying it was a "harsh reality" to realize her parents are aging and could not do everything they used to be able to do.
Below, you'll find details about each testimony, as well as the questions the prosecution and defense asked. The trial will pick up Monday with more witnesses called by the defense.
4 p.m. update:
After his sister testified, Matthew Reeves took the stand to testify in his father’s trial. He was in the movie theater when the shooting happened.
Matthew said he was running late to the movie theater where he was meeting his parents, Curtis and Vivian Reeves. When he got to the theater, he said he bought his ticket and went straight inside.
While he was in the theater, he described to the defense that he could not see anyone “due to the lighting” of the theater. The prosecution later pointed out Matthew's testimony in a previous deposition where he said he could see people watching the previews.
As he was looking for his parents, Matthew said he heard his father say something to the effect of, “Get out of my face, get off me.” He said he then saw a “residual flash” and heard a gunshot.
After the gunshot, Matthew said he saw Chad Oulson take “an exaggerated step down.” When asked by the prosecution if Oulson was coming over a chair or a row, Matthew said he isn’t sure but it appeared to be that way.
Matthew is a police officer with the Tampa Police Department. He said he first assessed if the situation was safe before heading to the top of the theater where he would find Oulson and “order” people to help lay Oulson on the ground.
Matthew then described seeing Oulson’s gunshot wound and applying pressure to it. He said he was talking to Oulson, telling him to continue breathing. He said he saw his father’s glasses out of alignment and not covering one eye.
It is worth noting that Matthew is the first witness inside the theater to share a significantly different version of events. Other witnesses testified they never saw Oulson climbing over a chair and that he fell to the ground after being shot. Other witnesses also said they never heard Reeves indicate he was being attacked.
Some of these witnesses were sitting just seats away from Reeves when the shooting happened. All other witnesses in the theater told almost the exact same story as to what happened.
The defense also asked Matthew to share details about a hunting trip he and Reeves took about a week before the shooting. He said they would hunt blind or using a tree stand, but specifies Reeves only used the tree stand once. The prosecution later confirmed with Matthew that Reeves was sitting about 10 feet up in the tree and had to manually move himself up the tree stand.
2 p.m. update:
After a lunch recess, we heard from Jennifer Shaw, Curtis Reeves’ daughter. She moved in with her parents in April 2013, less than one year before the shooting.
During her time living there, she describes Reeves as growing increasingly fragile. Holding back tears, she described it as a harsh reality to see her parents age and no longer be able to do the things they used to do. She also mentions they had a very active lifestyle in 2013.
Under cross-examination from the prosecution, attorneys questioned describing Reeves as getting older but also having an active lifestyle.
When asked about the activities Reeves would do around his one-acre property, Shaw confirms that he had an archery range, would mow the lawn on a riding lawn mower, cut the hedges, and occasionally power wash. He would also go on bike rides near his home.
Shaw adds that she didn’t know if her father had 20/20 vision in 2014 but says he would occasionally have “floaters” in his eyes.
She describes Reeves’ hands as locking up occasionally, unable to sometimes accomplish tasks like buttoning his shirt or tying his shoes. She confirms to the prosecution he was able to stand and sit for extended periods of time and could carry groceries from the car to the house.
During questioning from the defense, Shaw describes a time when she realized her parents were aging. It was while they were kayaking, and her father couldn't pull the oars apart.
When the prosecution brought up the oars, attorneys asked if the oars had been stuck. According to a previous deposition, Shaw had said she and her father spent about 10 minutes tugging and twisting the oars because they were stuck. When asked if the oars were actually stuck, Shaw responded, "Possibly."
10:45 a.m. update:
The first witness the defense called was Aaron Smith. He’s a detective with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and responded to the shooting shortly after it happened.
During questioning, the defense highlighted that Smith did not use a tape recorder to document interviews from Vivian Reeves, Curtis Reeves’ wife, and their son, Matt Reeves. Matt is a police officer with the Tampa Police Department.
In the interviews with Reeves’ wife and son, Smith says he allowed both witnesses to tell their versions of the story before asking specific questions.
Smith was also asked about lighting and sound in the theater. He says he didn’t specifically ask Vivian and Matt about the conditions of the theater, but he says he remembers discussing the lighting with Vivian. The defense asked why light and noise meters were not used.
The defense also made the jury aware of Smith’s experience at the time of the shooting. He confirms he had only been assigned as a crime scene detective once before the shooting happened.
While discussing Chad Oulson's iPhone, the defense says there could have been a contamination of DNA because fresh gloves were not used to pick it up. Smith says forensics swabs the iPhone to gather DNA.
The defense says it's Smith's job to preserve evidence. Smith responded that it's his job to coordinate the preservation of evidence.
Smith was also asked about how he got the surveillance video. He says after the shooting happened, the video was taken to Cobb Theatres' headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. Smith says he went to Alabama to retrieve the video from Cobb's lawyer, which had been copied by Cobb's IT manager. It was given to him in a locked box.
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Friday started with the defense calling their own witnesses to the stand to testify in the trial of movie theater shooter Curtis Reeves.
On Thursday, we heard from more witnesses who were inside the movie theater, including Derek Friedhoff, a registered nurse who was sitting just one row in front of the Oulsons.
Friedhoff says after Chad Oulson was shot, he took off his shirt to apply pressure to the gunshot wound. Friedhoff says he felt Oulson's pulse start to fade as he spoke to 911 operators.
During questioning from defense attorney Richard Escobar, Judge Susan Barthle had to remind Escobar to not interrupt witnesses while they are answering questions.