Crew didn’t know guard was armed, 9News says
Staff at Denver’s 9News did not know a security guard protecting their journalists at protests over the weekend was armed until the guard opened fire and killed a protester, the station announced Tuesday.
“As stated yesterday, 9NEWS does not contract directly with individual security personnel. 9NEWS contracted with Pinkerton and had directed that security guards accompanying our personnel not be armed,” Mark Cornetta, president and general manager of the station, said in a statement. “None of 9NEWS’ crew accompanied by Mr. Dolloff on Saturday were aware that he was armed.”
Matthew Robert Dolloff, 30, is suspected of fatally shooting Lee Keltner, a 49- year- old participant in a “Patriot Rally” on Saturday. Denver police on Tuesday unsealed the affidavit for Dolloff’s arrest, which provided the most complete timeline of events from law enforcement thus far.
Keltner was leaving the rally Saturday afternoon when he and another man started arguing, causing a bystander to try to separate them, the affidavit states.
Holding a can of pepper spray, Keltner then became involved in a dispute with Dolloff and a 9News producer, whom Dolloff was guarding.
Keltner approached the two men and told them to stop using cameras, according to video taken by the 9News producer just before the shooting. 9News published the video Tuesday evening.
“Get the video out of here or I’m going to ( expletive) you up,” Keltner appears to say in the video, though it is legal for anyone to film people in public spaces.
The 9News video shows Keltner and
Dolloff get into a physical altercation before the producer stopped filming.
Keltner slapped Dolloff in the side of the head, according to the affidavit, and Dolloff then drew a gun from his waistband.
Dolloff fired the gun as Keltner sprayed the pepper spray, according to the affidavit.
The 9News producer resumed filming of the incident shortly after the shooting. The video recorded the 9News producer, who has not been publicly identified by the station or police, repeatedly telling law enforcement that he was a member of the press as he laid down on the ground.
Photos taken by a Denver Post photojournalist showed several law enforcement members with guns drawn surrounding both the guard and the producer. Both were detained at the scene, though police later released the producer.
An attorney for his family said Monday that Dolloff was acting in self- defense when he shot and killed Keltner. Prosecutors had not formally charged Dolloff in connection with the shooting as of Tuesday evening.
Beyond criminal charges in the shooting, Dolloff could face additional criminal or civil action for working in Denver without the required municipal security guard license. Dolloff was working as a contractor for Pinkerton, which 9News had contracted with for security. Pinkerton said in a statement Monday that Dolloff was not an employee, but “a contractor agent from a long standing industry vendor” that the company would not name.
Dolloff also provided security services at a Friday night debate between senatorial candidates Cory Gardner and John Hickenlooper. The debate took place at Denver7’ s television studio and was cohosted by The Post and Colorado Public Radio.
An attorney representing Dolloff’s family on Monday told The Post that Dolloff was armed at the debate. Denver7 on Monday confirmed Dolloff worked security at the debate, but said the station specifically asked Pinkerton for unarmed guards for the event.
Dolloff was not licensed to provide private security services in Denver, city officials have said. He remained in Denver’s Downtown Detention Center on Tuesday, held without bond on suspicion of firstdegree murder.