A man contracted by a Colorado television station to provide security at a protest was arrested on Saturday in connection with a fatal shooting.
Matthew Dolloff, 30, was hired by a company that was subsequently contracted by KUSA-TV (Channel 9), Denver’s NBC affiliate, to provide security during a pair of rallies in Denver over the weekend.
On Saturday, right-wing activists gathered for a “Patriot” rally as progressive activists from Black Lives Matter and a loose coalition of protesters known as “antifa” assembled nearby.
During the protest, a confrontation between both sides ensued. Police believe Dolloff fired a single shot at 49-year-old veteran Lee Keltner, who was “rally[ing] for the police department,” his son told the Denver Post.
A photograph captured by the newspaper showed Keltner spraying Dolloff with mace seconds before he was shot.
Dolloff surrendered to police within minutes. KUSA eventually identified him as a security guard who was hired by a contractor, Pinkerton, to provide support to a news crew covering the event.
The Denver Police Department later said it had no record of Dolloff being a licensed security guard, and Pinkerton said the man was not one of their employees, but rather a sub-contractor who works for a separate company.
“If he was operating as a security guard, he was in violation of the law,” a Denver city spokesperson told the website Denverite.
Records show the man being held for investigation in the deadly shooting near dueling demonstrators in Denver on Saturday was working as a security guard but was not properly licensed. https://t.co/tXF6IoQny8
— 9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS) October 12, 2020
On Monday, a spokesperson for KUSA said the station was “deeply saddened for the loss of life” and was working with local authorities to get to the bottom of what happened.
“We have, and will continue, to cooperate fully with law enforcement,” the spokesperson said.
KUSA is owned by TEGNA.
