Witnesses Claim Deadly Shooting Happened During Clash Between Protest Groups
DENVER (CBS4)- The shooting that left one man dead came after a Patriot group rally and counter protest over the weekend. Matthew Dolloff remains in custody on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Lee Keltner.
Heavily protected members of what they called the United American Defense force stood guard during the protests on Saturday.
John "Tig" Tiegen was the organizer of what was being termed a "Patriot Muster" and he told CBS 4's Rick Sallinger, "It's actually pretty sad. The fact in America that we have to have this barrier around us so Americans don't attack on American soil is pretty frigging disgusting."
There was a very heavy presence by Denver police and other agencies leading up to and during the protests surrounding the amphitheater in Civic Center Park where the rally was taking place.
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Meanwhile, Another group of protestors gathered on outside the rally. They were separated by two fences and a row of officers.
The Communist party of Denver had organized a soup drive during this time, but some of those attending came prepared for more than the distribution of food.
One man brought a mask to cover his face if there was trouble, "Our grandfathers have fought to defeat racism for decades. It hasn't really worked yet, so we have to defeat it with any means necessary."
At one point there was a bit of standoff between police and the protestors gathering outside of the other protest. An American flag was burned, but the situation was quickly diffused.
The Patriot rally ended peacefully. Their security force exited and had just left the area when an argument broke out on a courtyard between the Denver Public Library main branch and the Denver Art Museum.
The man who attended the Patriot rally fired off the orange chemical agent. That's when police said that Dolloff opened fire. According to Denver TV station KUSA, Dolloff was contracted by 9News through the security company Pinkerton.
Keltner was rushed to the hospital where he died. Dolloff remained in custody on Monday after appearing before a judge on Sunday.
