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Who is Matthew Dolloff? Private security guard arrested for killing navy veteran Lee Keltner at Denver protests

'My son Lee was at the patriot rally today in Denver. After the rally, a person on the BLM and Antifa side went up to him said a few nasty words then shot him in the head,' said the victim's mother

DENVER, COLORADO: A private security guard, hired by a Denver television news station, was arrested by the authorities after a fatal shooting took place on Saturday, October 10, following a clash between far-right and far-left activists as they took out protest rallies in downtown Denver's Civic Center Park.

The security guard, Matthew Dolloff, 30, was interrogated for first-degree murder and taken to the Denver County Jail, according to court records. According to a New York Times report, the police kept the activists' groups on separate sides of the park during the protests which were divided by an amphitheater and temporary fencing. As per the report, some people of the right-wing group filmed and heckled the left-wing activists from across the fencing, though the groups did not engage in a large-scale verbal or physical confrontation, said Chelsea Jacobs, a member of the Denver Communists.

A dramatic video that captured the incident showed a man being shot during the clash of protesters in the courtyard of the museum. Lawyer and Republican national committeeman Randy Corporon identified the victim as Lee Keltner. He said he had met Keltner at the protest venue on Saturday. Keltner owned a custom hat business, Crossfire Hats, in Brighton, Colorado, about 20 miles northeast of Denver, The Denver Post reported in 2015. The 49-year old Keltner was a US Navy veteran. His mother said in a statement, "My name is Carol Keltner. My son Lee was at the patriot rally today in Denver. After the rally, a person on the BLM and Antifa side went up to him said a few nasty words then shot him in the head. He was murdered because he backed the police. His 24-year-old son was with him. I moved to Arkansas because Colorado got too expensive and liberal. The left has gotten out of hand."

Who is Matthew Dolloff?

Dolloff shot dead Keltner, a retired military veteran, and a purported Patriot militia activist/supporter on Saturday, October 10. At the time of Keltner’s death, initial reports indicated that he had been shot dead by an Antifa/BLM protester, but soon police released a statement stating that Dolloff was in fact not a protester affiliated with Antifa but a "neutral" security contractor hired out by Pinkerton on behalf of local news station 9News-TV. The statement reads, "Update: Further investigation has determined the suspect is a private security guard with no affiliation with Antifa. Additional information will be released as it becomes available."

Later, the department identified him and tweeted, "Matthew Dolloff (DOB 03-07-1990) is being held for Investigation of First Degree Murder in connection w/the shooting that occurred yesterday at 10 W. 14th Ave. This remains an active investigation; any additional updates will be released as it becomes available. #Denver"

FOX31 reached out to the Denver Department of Excise & Licensing where they were told that Dolloff had never been registered as an active security guard in the city. One Internet user shared a picture of Dolloff and wrote, "@9news claims they hired Dolloff from Pinkerton. YET: Matthew R Dolloff LinkedIn profile: NO reference to security, military, or law enforcement background." He further provided two links stating, "Denver requires security guards to be licensed. Dolloff has no license in Denver - first link to Reddit thread, then link to current Denver licensed security guard data set direct from City of Denver."