MOVIES - July 5, 1989

An argument between two men over who was first in a popcorn line before the start of the movie “Batman” ended with a deadly shootout in a crowded theater in New York’s Bronx. Police said that during the argument, one man threatened to get a gun from his car. The victim told him to “go ahead,” then got his popcorn and took a seat inside. The gunman soon returned, found a seat, spotted the other man and yelled, “Hey, are you the guy with the popcorn?” Police reported that they both stood up and the guns came out. The victim squeezed off one shot from a .38-caliber handgun; his assailant fired two shots, one of which struck the victim in the head. No one else was hurt. The gunman fled. The victim, described as a man in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.