Murder Charge To Be Dropped In Shooting By Denver Security Guard

DENVER, CO — Prosecutors said they will drop a murder charge against an unlicensed security guard for a Denver TV station who shot and killed a man during a 2020 confrontation after a right-wing rally.

Matthew Dolloff, 32, claimed he was defending himself and a reporter for 9News, the station that hired him as a private security guard, when he fatally shot Lee John Keltner, 49, at the end of a “patriot muster” rally on Oct. 10, 2020.

Prosecutors on Thursday said they couldn't overcome those claims and would drop a second-degree murder charge against him.

“Having fully considered the facts and circumstances surrounding the charges, today we informed Lee Keltner’s family members that we will soon dismiss the criminal case against Matthew Dolloff,” Carolyn Tyler, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office, said in a statement.

The murder trial was scheduled to begin next month.

As Denver Patch previously reported, members of the media were covering a clash between a far-right militia group's "Patriot Rally" and a BLM Antifa Soup Drive, which was hosted by the Denver Communists and Denver-Boulder Socialist Revolution groups.

Witnesses said an argument broke out and one of the "Patriot Rally" attendees sprayed a man with what appeared to be pepper spray or mace. He retaliated by shooting back.

The case made national headlines when a photographer for The Denver Post snapped photos of the fatal encounter, including the moment Keltner sprayed Dolloff, who pointed a gun back at Keltner.

Dolloff fired and Keltner fell to the ground. Police then arrested Dolloff as he held a semiautomatic handgun. Photographs showed Dolloff lying the gun on the ground and raising his hands in the air as police approached.

Keltner was declared dead at Denver Health Medical Center. His death was ruled a homicide.