A security guard being held in a Denver jail on suspicion of murder allegedly shot another man who slapped him and who fired pepper spray at him, according to the police arrest affidavit.
Denver Police Detective Daniel Tregembo writes in the affidavit that the shooting happened Saturday as 49-year-old Lee John Keltner walked with his 25-year-old son from a rally in Civic Center Park. The incident was recorded by Denver police surveillance cameras and cell phone video, the court document says. At least one newspaper photographer captured the shooting.
The images show Lee Keltner arguing with another man and witnesses thought the men were going to fight, the affidavit says.
The shooting suspect, 30-year-old Matthew Dolloff, and another man become engaged in the confrontation, and Keltner is seen holding the can of pepper spray, according to the affidavit.
Keltner then turns his attention toward Dolloff and the other man, and the images show Keltner and Dolloff “face each other,” according to the affidavit.
“Mr. (Lee) Keltner strikes Mr. (Dolloff) in the side of the head with an open hand. Mr. (Dolloff) is then observed drawing a handgun from his waistband, aiming at Lee Keltner and shooting once, striking Mr. Keltner, as Mr. Keltner discharges his (pepper) spray,” the affidavit says.
Keltner died at a Denver hospital, the Medical Examiner’s Office said in a statement.
Dolloff is being held for investigation of first-degree murder, according to police. He made a court appearance Sunday and is being held in jail without bond, according to jail records.
Doug Richards, an attorney speaking on behalf of Dolloff’s family, told The Denver Post on Monday that Dolloff was at the rally to “protect First Amendment rights” and wasn’t there to advance any political agenda.
Dolloff is a security guard who was contracted through Pinkerton by CNN affiliate KUSA to accompany its reporting staff to a police support rally and a counterdemonstration, the station said in a statement.
In a statement released Sunday, Pinkerton said Dolloff was a contractor from a third-party vendor.
Dolloff is not licensed to be a security guard in Denver, according to Eric Escudero, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Excise and Licenses.
If Dolloff was operating without a license, he could be fined up to $999 or face up to a year in jail, Escudero said. The company that hired Dolloff could also face administrative action if this were the case, according to Escudero.
Richards told the Post that Dolloff was defending himself.
“Matt was doing everything he was supposed to do and everything he was trained to do,” Richards told the Post. “Even if he didn’t carry the special Denver security license, it didn’t stop Pinkerton from sending Matt into that job and it doesn’t change the fact that Matt was acting in self-defense.”
CNN reached out to Richards on Tuesday but didn’t get an immediate response.
Pinkerton has said it is cooperating in the investigation.
KUSA issued a statement Tuesday saying it was unaware that Dolloff was armed.
“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,” according to the statement from the station.
CNN’s Dave Alsup, Claudia Dominguez, Kay Jones, Lucy Kavanov, Raja Razek, Hollie Silverman, Alta Spells and Amir Vera contributed to this report.
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