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Security Guard Who Shot and Killed a Pro-Police Protester Is Getting Charged With Murder

Matthew Dolloff faces between 16 and 48 years in prison if found guilty.
DENVER OCTOBER 10: Two men clash after dueling rallies in Downtown Denver on October 10, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. The confrontation led to the man on the right fatally shooting the man on the left of the photo. The shooting happened as opposing rallies b

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The security guard who shot and killed a pro-police protester in downtown Denver last Saturday will face second-degree murder charges over the deadly encounter.

Matthew Dolloff, who shot 49-year-old Lee Keltner during an altercation at protests between pro-police groups and Black Lives Matter supporters, could serve between 16 and 48 years in prison if found guilty, according to Denver District Attorney Beth McCann.

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VICE News reached out to Dolloff’s attorney Doug Richards for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Earlier this week, cellphone footage of the moments leading up to the Saturday-afternoon shooting show Keltner in an argument with a BLM protester where he pulled out a can of mace. Within minutes, Keltner walked over to a nearby KUSA-TV News 9 reporter and attempted to confront the member of the press whom Dolloff had been hired to protect. After Dolloff got between the reporter and Keltner, Keltner slapped the security guard and pointed his can of mace in his direction. Dolloff responded by shooting Keltner in the chest.

The Navy veteran and local business owner collapsed to the ground and was promptly rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead 30 minutes later. Dolloff was immediately taken into custody by police officers.

The Denver Police Department revealed that Dolloff did not have a license to be a security guard at the time of the incident, a requirement by city law. He was hired by KUSA-TV through a third-party security firm called Pinkerton. Both KUSA-TV and Pinkerton can face legal action for employing Dolloff, according to the Associated Press.