Newly released video footage showing the aftermath of the deadly Denver Patriot Muster protest shooting has raised questions about who, as...
Newly released video footage showing the aftermath of the deadly Denver Patriot Muster protest shooting has raised questions about who, aside from the unlicensed security guard gunman, was armed after someone was heard shouting: 'He's got magazines.'
Police have said that two guns were recovered from the scene of the shooting outside the Denver Civic Center, where pro-police Patriot Muster supporters faced off with Black Lives Matter and Antifa counter-protesters on Saturday afternoon.
One of those guns is assumed to belong to shooter Matthew Dolloff, who was seen placing his weapon on the ground as he surrendered to police immediately after opening fire on Lee Keltner.
But it remains unclear who the second gun belonged to, as police have declined to say. An affidavit for Dolloff's arrest only mentioned one gun.
Local TV station 9News, which had hired Dolloff to protect its staff covering the protests, released two cellphone videos recorded by its producer on Tuesday which showed the moments before and after the attack.
In the second video someone is heard saying: 'He's got magazines in his coat' as officers surveyed the scene and took Dolloff and the producer into custody. The producer was later released after investigators determined he was not involved in the shooting.
The camera recording was facing up toward the sky for the majority of that clip, so it's unknown who made the comment about magazines, which person they found them on or, or whether they were speaking about the kind of magazines used to store ammunition.
Dolloff and the producer, who has not been named, were wearing short-sleeved shirts. Keltner, a Navy veteran, was wearing a military-style vest with large pockets over a t-shirt. None of them were wearing traditional 'coats'.
An attorney for Dolloff's family suggested that Keltner may have been armed earlier this week when he claimed the gunman acted in self-defense after Keltner deployed mace at him appeared to lift up his shirt, possibly reaching for a gun.
Police said two guns were recovered from the scene where Matthew Dolloff (right) shot and killed Lee Keltner (left) outside the Denver Civic Center on Saturday
One of the guns is assumed to belong to shooter Matthew Dolloff, who was seen placing his weapon on the ground as he surrendered to police immediately after opening fire on Keltner
9News released cellphone video recorded immediately after the shooting, in which someone can be heard saying: 'He's got magazines in his coat' as officers surveyed the scene and took Dolloff into custody. The camera was facing up toward, so it's unknown who made the comment about magazines, which person they found them on or, or whether they were speaking about the kind of magazines used to store ammunition
The 9News producer who captured the video is seen on the right side of the image above from a Denver Post photographer. The phone in his right hand (circled) was recording
Keltner's family have insisted that he did nothing to provoke the shooting and suggested that Dolloff targeted him because of his conservative views.
In a Facebook post over the weekend, the victim's mother Carol Keltner claimed that her son was shot 'because he backed police' and said: 'The Left has gone too far.'
The Denver Police Department said that Dolloff has no known affiliations with BLM or Antifa.
Dolloff's ex-girlfriend echoed that claim in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com on Tuesday, which also outlined the shooter's history of liberal social media posts and attending 'Occupy Denver' rallies.
Dolloff is currently being held without bond at Denver's Downtown Detention Center on suspicion of first-degree murder. The Denver City Attorney's Office has until Friday to determine whether to file formal charges against him.
Dolloff, 30, (left) is jailed on suspicion of first-degree murder for shooting Keltner (right). If authorities determine that Keltner was armed, it could bolster Dolloff's argument that he was justified in using of deadly force because he feared his life was in danger
Earlier this week Denver's Department of Excise and Licensing confirmed that Dolloff did not have and has never had the license needed to serve as a private security guard.
9News, which contracted Dolloff through the security firm Pinkerton, has said it did not know that he was unlicensed. The station also said its staff was unaware that Dolloff was armed during Saturday's protests, because it had told Pinkerton that it didn't want the guard to carry a gun.
Pinkerton said it sub-contracted Dolloff through another 'long standing agency vendor', which it declined to name. Pinkerton also has not addressed 9News' claim that it asked for an unarmed guard.
Pinkerton, 9News and the firm that employed Dolloff could all face criminal charges over the fact that he was not licensed.
9News asked its sister station in Dallas, WFAA, to help with coverage of the shooting since it is one of the subjects of the investigation.
On Wednesday WFAA reporter Jason Whitely spoke to a former district attorney in neighboring Boulder County, Stanley Garnett, about why the Denver City's Attorney's Office is taking so long with the charging decision.
Garnett said one of the biggest questions facing prosecutors, police and eventually the courts is: 'If someone is threatening to use mace, and then does use mace, to what extent is the other person entitled to respond with deadly force?'
'Or did the other person, the shooter, believe that in addition to mace there might be deadly force used?'
Keltner is seen deploying mace at Dolloff, who pulled a handgun out of his waistband. Former district attorney Stanley Garrett said one of the biggest questions facing prosecutors, police and eventually the courts is: 'If someone is threatening to use mace, and then does use mace, to what extent is the other person entitled to respond with deadly force?'
New details about the case emerged on Tuesday in the two videos released by 9News.
The first video shows Keltner confronting a 9News producer and demanding that he turn off his camera just seconds before Dolloff stepped in and shot him point blank. The video ends right before the gun went off.
The producer's attorney, Dan Recht, spoke to WFAA about the incident Tuesday, revealing that neither his client nor Dolloff had identified themselves as press at any point during the confrontation with Keltner.
The second video captured the aftermath, showing Dolloff lying on the ground as riot police put him in handcuffs. He repeatedly shouts: 'Security for 9News' and says: 'That guy was going to get me.'
New details about the case emerged on Tuesday in the two videos released by 9News. The first video shows Keltner confronting a 9News producer and demanding that he turn off his camera just seconds before Dolloff stepped in and shot him point blank
The producer began filming when an argument broke out between Keltner (left of center in a bucket hat) and a Black Lives Matter counter-protester (right with a blue bandana)
The producer began filming the first clip when an argument broke out between Keltner and a Black Lives Matter counter-protester at about 3.30pm, after police had begun telling attendees on both sides of the opposing rallies to disperse.
According to an affidavit for Dolloff's arrest, Keltner got into a verbal dispute with a 27-year-old man in which both 'yelled and postured', leading others around them to believe the shouting match was about to turn physical.
Investigators said a 60-year-old man stepped in between Keltner and the 27-year-old man to urge them to stop before Dolloff and a 25-year-old person - believed to be the producer - engaged in an altercation with Keltner.
In the 9News video, the 27-year-old counter-protester, who was wearing a 'Black Guns Matter' shirt, is heard telling Keltner: 'Shoot me mothaf***a. F***ing kill me then n***a.'
The 60-year-old man then steps in and pushes the counter-protester back as he says: 'Don't f***ing touch me n***a. Don't f***ing touch me.'
The counter-protester looks directly at Keltner says: 'F***ing mace me,' as Keltner walks toward him holding a can of mace.
About 90 seconds into the first video, Keltner walks toward the producer and says: 'This is not the place for a camera. F*** you. Get the cameras out of here or I'm going to f*** you up'
Keltner appears to push the producer, knocking him backward as he engages in a physical fight with Dolloff
Keltner then looks directly into the camera before walking toward the producer and saying: 'This is not the place for a camera. F*** you. Get the cameras out of here or I'm going to f*** you up.'
Keltner appears to push the producer, knocking him backward as he engages in a physical fight with Dolloff.
Dolloff steps back and a hissing sound, likely from Keltner deploying mace, is heard before the video cuts off.
Dolloff fired his gun a split-second later, according to another video taken by a man who had been live-streaming the argument between Keltner and the 27-year-old counter-protester.
In that video, a gunshot rang out about five seconds after Keltner walked over to confront the producer and security guard, who were outside the frame.
The second video shows Dolloff lying on the ground as riot police put him in handcuffs. He repeatedly shouts: 'Security for 9News' and says: 'That guy was going to get me'
The producer can be heard explaining what happened to police as Dolloff is placed in handcuffs. 'He maced him, he maced him so that's when he shot him,' the producer says. 'That guy just saved my f***ing life, you know that right?'
The shooting was also captured in a stunning series of 71 images by a Denver Post photographer, which showed Keltner slapping Dolloff and deploying a stream of mace into his face as the guard lifted his handgun and fired, sending the protester staggering backward.
In Dolloff's arrest affidavit, police stated that he pulled the gun from his waistband and fired one shot at the same time Keltner sprayed the mace.
In the second video released by 9News, the producer can be heard explaining what happened to police as Dolloff is placed in handcuffs.
'He maced him, he maced him so that's when he shot him,' the producer says.
'That guy just saved my f***ing life, you know that right?'
The producer was also handcuffed and taken into custody. Police said he was released hours later after it became clear he was not involved in the shooting.
The producer's attorney Recht said his client was 'terrified' when Keltner 'threatened him'. He said he believes Keltner targeted the producer solely because of his camera and did not know he was a journalist.
The attorney for Dolloff's family, Doug Richards, also claimed that his client feared for his life and tried to paint him as a hero.
'Matt put his life and now his liberty in between the now-deceased and the 9NEWS employee,' Richards said. 'This was not a political assignment for Matt. This was simply Matt protecting your employee.'
Keltner staggers backward after Dolloff fired his weapon into the cloud of mace
Dolloff laid down his weapon and appeared to tell the 9News producer he was with to back away as riot police rushed at him
Following reports that Dolloff was not actually licensed, 9News has maintained that it was Pinkerton's responsibility to ensure that its contractors had proper documentation.
'9News continues to cooperate fully with law enforcement and is deeply saddened by this loss of life,' the outlet said in a statement Monday.
'For the past few months, it has been the practice of 9NEWS to contract private security, through an outside firm, to accompany our personnel covering protests.
'Pinkerton, the private security firm, is responsible for ensuring its guards or those it contracts with are appropriately licensed. 9NEWS does not contract directly with individual security personnel.'
In another statement on Tuesday, the station said: '9News contracted with Pinkerton and had directed that security guards accompanying our personnel not be armed. None of 9News' crew accompanied by Mr Dolloff on Saturday were aware that he was armed.'
Pinkerton also sought to deflect blame by asserting that it had sub-contracted Dolloff from another firm, which it has refused to name when asked directly by multiple media outlets.
'We take loss of life in any situation very seriously and our hearts go out to those impacted,' Pinkerton said in a statement on Monday.
'As it relates to the incident in Denver on October 10, the agent in question is not a Pinkerton employee but rather a contractor agent from a longstanding industry vendor.
'Security professionals often serve as guides to protect media crews during potentially dangerous situations or hostile environments.
'We are fully cooperating with law enforcement authorities in their investigation.'
Eric Escudero, a spokesman for the city's Department of Excise and Licenses, responded to Pinkerton's statement on Tuesday.
'If you are a security guard company, whether you want to call it a contract or call it a temporary, if they are doing security guard work, you are required to have a license and the company is responsible that is the security guard employer for making sure they are licensed,' Escudero said.
'It is clear as a crystal-clear blue day in Colorado, there are no loopholes in the City and County of Denver when it comes to licensing security guard companies.'
Dolloff was issued a five-year concealed carry permit in June 2018, according to Elbert County Sheriff Tim Norton.
Norton moved to suspend the permit on Monday in light of the shooting.
Pinkerton released the statement above on Monday, asserting that it did not employ Dolloff but had contracted him from an unnamed 'long standing industry vendor'
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