PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — When Nicole Oulson heard the words "not guilty" while sitting inside a Pasco County courtroom, her world was turned upside down again. Jurors came to the decision that the man charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of her husband eight years earlier was free.
On Feb. 14, 2022, the jury went into deliberations. Curtis Reeves, a retired Tampa police captain, was charged with second-degree murder for killing Chad Oulson during an argument over cell phones. It escalated to the point where Reeves admitted to firing a single shot in self-defense. Jurors weighing all the evidence and testimony returned with a verdict of not guilty.
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"After thetrial, it wasn't the outcome we wanted," Oulson said. "I wanted to make a positive out of a negative and for Lexi to keep her dad's legacy alive."
The not-guilty verdict inspired the launch of the non-profit Oulson Family Foundation. During the past year, they've started raising funds to help kids in need. The goal is to help kids impacted by gun violence.
When Chad was killed on Jan. 13, 2014, his daughter Alexis was a year old; today, she is eleven. Oulson said growing up without a father took a heavy toll on Alexis. One goal of the foundation is to provide more counseling to children like her daughter. Even though Oulson said she received counseling at school, even more would have helped a lot.
"Over the years, she struggled with, you know, things that kids have said at school about, you know, her not having a dad or, you know, little things that have kind of upset her and you know, that could have helped her," Oulson said.
"She was bullied?" Paluska asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Oulson said.
"There's a Lexy in your home, but there are hundreds, thousands of Lexy's across the United States when it comes to gun violence," Paluska said.
"Every day, you read the news and hear about it," Oulson said. "Now, you know, gun violence is out of control. And while the foundation doesn't take a stand on gun control or gun regulation, we're here after the fact to help the children and the families that have been impacted. And to let other children know that, you know, other families even that they're not alone."
Over the past year, Oulson said the non-profit has been in fundraising mode. There is a golf tournament on Monday to try and raise more money.
"And, we're now at a point where we're ready to get out there and help our first child or several children," Oulson said. "We will go to the local state attorney's office and see if they can recommend some cases and some families that may fit our criteria. And we'll go from there and see how many we can help and what we can do to support them. Whether it's medical bills, counseling, education assistance, you know, down the road, to help them with their college fund, things like that. That's what we'll do, depending on what they need."
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, "annually, nearly 4,000 children and teens (ages 0 to 19) are shot and killed, and 15,000 are shot and wounded—an average of 53 American children and teens every day.
And the effects of gun violence extend far beyond those struck by a bullet: An estimated three million children witness a shooting each year. Gun violence shapes the lives of the children who witness it, know someone who was shot, or live in fear of the next shooting."
Oulson wants Chad's memory to live on through the foundation locally and across the country.
"I hope we have grown and expanded to be able to help as many children as possible, you know, but we have to have the support," Oulson said. "And, we have to continue getting our name and everything out there. So that's what we want to do: keep networking and getting those sponsors and getting that support behind us so that we can help as many children as possible because there's so many that need it."
