Prosecutors will toss a murder charge against a former security guard caught on camera gunning down a US Navy veteran at a right-wing rally in Denver.
Matthew Dolloff, a 32-year-old private security guard who was working for a Denver TV station, shot and killed Lee Keltner, 49, in October 2020 during a heated confrontation when “Patriot Rally” demonstrators were met by counter-protesters.
Keltner, who was at the rally with his son, slapped Dolloff in the head, prompting the unlicensed security guard to pull out a handgun and shoot the vet as he unleashed a can of bear spray.
Dolloff was arrested at the scene and later charged with second-degree murder, but insisted he acted in self-defense, which prosecutors admitted Thursday would be too difficult to overcome, the Denver Post reported.
Lee Keltner lies on the ground after being mortally wounded by Matthew Dolloff. Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
An attorney for Dolloff told the newspaper prosecutors informed him they plan to dismiss the second-degree murder charge during a pretrial conference on March 21.
“I’m just really happy for Matt and his family that the DA finally realized what we’d known all along,” attorney Doug Richards told the newspaper.
Richards and a public defender who previously represented Dolloff, who was at the rally to protect a KUSA-TV producer, have insisted the fatal shooting was clearly self-defense.
“Matt put his life and now his liberty in between the now-deceased and the 9NEWS employee,” Richards told the station in October. “This was not a political assignment for Matt. This was simply Matt protecting your employee.”
A Denver District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman confirmed Thursday that prosecutors intend to dismiss the murder charge against Dolloff, the Denver Post reported.
“In line with our ethical obligations, we cannot overcome the legal justifications of self-defense or defense of others,” spokeswoman Carolyn Tyler said in an email. “We are not able to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Dolloff being sprayed with mace moments before the shooting. Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Dolloff and Keltner slapped each other in the fatal brawl. Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Dolloff with his hands in the air following the shooting. Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty ImagesDolloff, who pleaded not guilty in May, was readying to go to trial in April. He was released from custody in November after posting $500,000 bond. The former security guard had faced up to 48 years in prison if convicted. He faces no other charges in Keltner’s death.
Prosecutors informed Keltner’s family of their decision on Thursday, Tyler said. A relative of the Navy veteran and hat-maker declined to comment, the Denver Post reported.
With Post wires
