Iraq veteran held for trial in movie theater shooting

On Christmas evening, Woffard Lomax Jr. was in a theater with his girlfriend and her three teenagers, laughing as they enjoyed

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

. Then came the shush.

"Be quiet," said a man sitting in front.

"We can't laugh?" asked Lomax, 31.

More words were exchanged. A second man pelted Lomax and one of the teens with popcorn. People stood and a brawl ensued.

Lomax, recounting the exchange in court yesterday, said he was fighting with the man who told him to quiet down. Then the one who threw the popcorn pulled out a gun and fired, striking him in the left arm, he said.

News of the shooting inside the Riverview Theater complex on Columbus Boulevard went around the world on the Internet. Yesterday's preliminary hearing for James Cialella, 29, provided new details in the case.

Greg Pagano, Cialella's defense attorney, said his client was trying to break up the melee and fired in self-defense while being choked and punched.

"He's a marksman," Pagano said. "If he wanted to shoot to kill, he would have."

Cialella had been a sergeant in the Army. He served in Iraq for five months and was honorably discharged in September, Pagano said. He also described the South Philadelphia resident as a newlywed, a homeowner, a churchgoer and a college student.

Municipal Court Judge Craig M. Washington held Cialella for trial on aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and related charges. He dismissed a charge of attempted murder over the objections of Assistant District Attorney Norman Millard.

Washington also reduced Cialella's bail from $350,000 to $50,000 and ordered house arrest if he is released.

Lomax suffered a broken arm in the gunshot. In court yesterday, his arm was in a cast, hidden under a roomy camel-colored sweater. After the hearing, Millard said Lomax would not comment.