Argument over texting in movie theater leads to fatal shooting



WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. (CNN) -- A man was shot the death after an argument over cell phone texting at a movie theater Monday afternoon in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco told CNN.

The victim, and a woman who was also shot, were sitting in a row in front of another couple.



"There was an altercation because the victim was using his cell phone. He was texting. He was making a lot of noise," Nocco said. "This led to a verbal altercation, the verbal altercation escalated."

The suspect pulled out a handgun and shot the man and the woman who was with him; she has non-life threatening injuries. The sheriff said it was unclear if the shooter meant to hit the woman.

"There was no indication that they knew each other," he said of the two couples. He said the shooting occurred during the previews to a movie.

A release from the sheriff's department said the suspected shooter was at the movie "Lone Survivor" with his wife.

A bystander detained the suspect until deputies arrived, the statement said.

The shooting happened at about 1:30 p.m. (ET) Monday inside one of the theaters at the Grove 16 complex, sheriff's spokeswoman Melanie Snow said.

"This was an isolated altercation between two guests that escalated unexpectedly. The safety, security and comfort of our guests and team members are always our top priorities, and we are truly heartbroken by this incident," Cobb Theatres, which operates the Grove complex, said in a written statement.