Denver TV station security guard charged in fatal shooting at protests
DENVER (NewsNation Now) — A security guard for a Denver television station is facing a murder charge in the deadly shooting of a protester earlier this month.
Matthew Dolloff, 30, was charged with second-degree murder Monday, more than a week after a 49-year-old man was shot and killed following dueling rallies downtown.
Photos from the scene show Dolloff and the victim, Lee Keltner, facing off before the fatal shooting, NewsNation affiliate KDVR reported. According to police, Keltner had been involved in an argument with another man, at one point turning his attention toward Dolloff. Police said Keltner then hit him in the face and discharged pepper spray, while Dolloff simultaneously fired one shot.
A “Patriot Muster” rally and a “BLM-Antifa Soup Drive” had just ended when police received reports of shots fired at Civic Center Park.
Dolloff could face up to 48 years in prison, if convicted. Under Colorado law, second-degree murder is defined as knowingly killing someone but without the deliberation prosecutors are required to prove in first-degree murder cases.
His bond was set at $500,000.
KDVR reported that there is no record of Dolloff as a licensed security guard in the city and county of Denver.
The news station, KUSA, said that it had contracted with security company Pinkerton for an unarmed guard. Pinkerton said it contracted with another company that employed Dolloff.
The news crew accompanied by Dolloff wasn’t aware that he was armed at the time, the television station said in a statement.
The next hearing is set for Wednesday morning, according to the district court clerk’s office. No attorney has been listed for Dolloff yet in court records.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KDVR contributed to this report.