The hired security guard accused of shooting a protester dead during a Denver rally on Saturday was identified by police as Matthew Robert Dolloff.
Dolloff, 30, is being held in connection to a first-degree murder investigation in the shooting of Lee Keltner, the Denver Police Department announced on Sunday.
Officials said Dolloff has not yet been charged. He is being questioned about the shooting, which was captured on camera. The shooting happened at a pro-President Donald Trump rally that was disrupted by people with Black Lives Matter and Antifa.
According to jail records, Dolloff was booked on Saturday night on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Dolloff was hired by NBC News affiliate station 9NEWS to provide security during the demonstrations. He was hired via Pinkerton, a company that offers private security services.
“It has been the practice of 9NEWS for a number of months to contract private security to accompany staff at protests,” said 9NEWS in its report.
Pinkerton and the NBC affiliate didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Police said that Dolloff is “a private security guard” who had “no affiliation with Antifa.” There were unconfirmed allegations on social media that he was part of the anarcho-communist group.
Dozens of socialists and communists scheduled a food drive as a counter-protest to the planned rally by conservative groups near the Civic Center.
On Sunday morning, he appeared briefly at a virtual court hearing, apparently struggling to hear the conversation between the judge and his public defender. “I can hear you enough, ma’am,” he said. Dolloff is being held without bond.
Social media accounts that appear to be connected to Dolloff show that he participated in Occupy protests in Denver and supported the Black Lives Matter movement. Those accounts frequently shared posts from left-wing media outlets like The Young Turks and criticized President Trump—who he called a fascist—and also indicated support for self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a former Democratic presidential candidate. (DP: bold, highlight added)
The shooting took place on Saturday around 3:30 p.m. near the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Public Library, Joe Montoya, a police official told reporters. A verbal altercation took place just before the shooting, he said.
Witnesses said the shooting victim was part of the conservative “Patriot Rally” group.
Photographs that captured the incident showed a man deploying pepper spray or a similar chemical as the suspect pointed a gun at him. Moments later, the man was on the ground, shot, while police in riot gear ran over and arrested the shooter.
One video showing the minute before the shooting showed a man wearing a “Black Guns Matter” t-shirt shouting at a group of men who appeared to be with the conservative group, including the man who was eventually shot. The man with the “Black Guns Matter” shirt is enraged, shouting at the group. He tells one to mace him. The shooting victim moves out of the view of the camera. Moments later, a gunshot is heard.
The Denver Sheriff Department directed inquiries to the police, which didn’t return requests for more information on Sunday.
After the shooting on Saturday, Denver police released a statement saying that it “respects the right to peacefully assemble. Those who participate in protests, demonstrations, marches, or other gatherings, as protected by the First Amendment, are reminded to do so in a lawful manner. Individuals who choose to act outside of local, state and federal law, will be subject to citation or arrest.”
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