The man who was arrested for allegedly gunning down a man at a protest in Denver on Saturday is not a licensed security guard, according to a statement by the spokesperson for the city’s Department of Excise and Licenses, Eric Escudero.
Matthew Dollof, 30, was initially thought to be a private security guard with Pinkerton security firm which was contracted by a CNN-affiliated station, KUSA-TV, to accompany reporters during protests. He is now being held without bail by the police for a first-degree murder case investigation. It was not immediately known if Dollof had an attorney.
In a statement by Escudero in response to inquiries about the license status of Dollof, he said that the department searched its records for any active security guard named Matthew Dollof, and it could not find any. He also said that only his department has the authority to license security guards; therefore, it was simply not a case of bureaucratic oversight.
If it is concluded after investigations that Dollof operated without a security license, he could face a fine of $999 or face up to a year in prison, the spokesman said. He further said that there are currently no state-wide license requirements for security guards and that only cities could give licenses to security firms.
The fatal shooting happened in an area where protesters had designated for a planned police support rally tagged the “Patriot Rally,” according to information from Denver Police Public Information Officer Ana Munoz.
Officers had immediately been called to the scene where they tried resuscitating the victim who was eventually pronounced dead at the hospital, Investigations Division Chief Joe Montoya disclosed. He also said that there had been an altercation whose cause was not known before the shooting and that two guns and a can of Mace were recovered from the scene.
The deceased man was identified as Lee Keltner by his family members. His family said that he was a military veteran, grandfather, and a patriot who loved his country.
“My son Lee was at the patriot rally today in Denver,” Keltner’s mother said tearfully. “After the rally, a person on the BLM and Antifa side went up to him, said a few nasty words, and then shot him in the head. He was murdered because he backed the police.”
Source: 9news.com
