Guard jailed in Denver killing
Man, 30, reportedly shot a participant in right- wing rally who was spraying him with Mace on Saturday.
DENVER — A private security guard working for a local TV station was jailed on suspicion of f irst- degree murder in the deadly shooting of another man during dueling right- and left- wing protests in downtown Denver, police said Sunday.
Matthew Dolloff, 30, was taken into custody in connection with the shooting Saturday afternoon in Civic Center Park.
A man participating in what was billed as a Patriot Rally slapped and sprayed Mace at a man who appeared to be Dolloff, the Denver Post reported, based on its photographs from the scene. The man drew a gun from his waistband and shot the other person, according to the Denver Post journalist who witnessed the incident.
The shooting victim was not named by authorities and died at a hospital. But his son identified the man Sunday to the Denver Post as Lee Keltner, a 49- year- old U. S. Navy veteran who operated a hat- making busi
‘ He was there to rally for the Police Department, and he’d been down there before rallying for the Police Department.’ — Johnathon Keltner, who said his father was the man killed in Denver
ness in the Denver area.
“He wasn’t a part of any group,” Johnathon Keltner told the newspaper. “He was there to rally for the Police Department, and he’d been down there before rallying for the Police Department.”
A woman who said she was the victim’s mother, Carol Keltner, wrote in a social media post that her son was killed when he was shot in the head.
A decision on charges will be up to the Denver district attorney’s office, police said. A representative for Dist. Atty. Beth McCann said Sunday that the arrest affidavit in the case remained sealed and referred further questions to the police.
It was not immediately clear whether Dolloff had an attorney.
Division Chief Joe Montoya of the Denver Police Department said two guns were found at the scene, as well as a Mace can.
The shooting occurred beneath a city surveillance camera, and police said they have video of the incident, KUSA- TV Channel 9 in Denver reported.
KUSA said it had hired the guard through the Pinkerton security f irm. “It has been the practice of 9NEWS for a number of months to hire private security to accompany staff at protests,” the station said.
The right- wing Patriot Rally was one of two demonstrations happening about the same time that drew hundreds of people to the park. Protesters at what was called a BLM- Antifa Soup Drive nearby held up f lags and signs railing against Nazis and white supremacists.
Security guards in Denver are supposed to be licensed, with additional endorsements needed to carry a firearm or operate in plainclothes, according to rules adopted by the city in 2018.
In photos from Saturday, Dolloff did not appear to be in uniform. His name does not show up on a city- run database that lists licensed security guards.
Representatives of Pinkerton did not immediately return email and telephone messages for comment.