Noisy Renton Man Charged In Shooting At Movie Theater

RENTON

A Renton man has been charged with first-degree assault in last weekend's shooting of a fellow moviegoer in a crowded theater.

Prosecution papers say a belligerent Craig Michael Kubeck pulled his snub-nose revolver after the victim asked him to shut up during a showing of the Robert DeNiro gangster comedy "Analyze This."

Kubeck, 34, was held in lieu of $250,000 bail yesterday at the Regional Justice Center in Kent. Arraignment was set for Monday.

Kubeck is charged with shooting Kelvin Kirkpatrick once through the abdomen last Saturday about halfway through the movie at the East Valley Theaters on East Valley Road in Renton.

Prosecutors said Kubeck had been drinking beer in the theater and loudly criticizing the film, in which DeNiro plays a gangster who seeks therapy from a counselor played by Billy Crystal.

Kirkpatrick asked an employee to quiet Kubeck, but 20 minutes later nothing had been done, according to court papers.

Kirkpatrick again rose to summon a manager, court papers say. Kubeck's girlfriend took a swing at Kirkpatrick, and a fight started.

Kirkpatrick pinned Kubeck to the floor in an attempt to calm him, the documents say. But Kubeck pulled the revolver and fired. He then pulled back the hammer for another shot - this time aimed at Kirkpatrick's head.

But Kirkpatrick, a former Marine Corps security officer, jammed his thumb between the hammer and the firing pin, preventing the next shot, the prosecution said.

Kirkpatrick's wife and other moviegoers struggled with Kubeck and disarmed him, the documents say. Kubeck left, but several bystanders tackled him in the parking lot and waited for police.

Kirkpatrick was treated at Harborview Medical Center and sent home, a hospital spokesman said.

Kubeck has prior convictions for domestic violence, violating a no-contact order, obstructing police, illegally carrying a concealed weapon and drunken driving, prosecutors said.