The man arrested in a recent shooting death in Denver was not licensed to be a security guard in the city, says a local agency.
“We searched our records and there is no record for an active licensed security guard now or ever for an individual named Matthew Doloff or Dolloff,” the city Department of Excise and Licenses told CBS Denver reporter Andrea Flores. “If he was operating as a security guard, he was in violation of the law.”
NEW: Denver Dept of Excise and Licenses confirms “there is no record for an active licensed security guard now or ever for an individual named Matthew Doloff or Dolloff. If he was operating as a security guard, he was in violation of the law”. More tonight on @CBSDenver at 10p pic.twitter.com/mFAYXZ1er5
— Andrea Flores (@AndreaFloresTV) October 11, 2020
Denver police on Sunday named Matthew Dolloff, 30, as the suspect in at a shooting death that happened Saturday by the Denver Art Museum. They held him for investigation of first-degree murder. The incident happened amid dueling left-wing and right-wing rallies. A Denver Post journalist said they witnessed the incident. A man sprayed mace at another individual, who then fatally shot him with a handgun.
Local NBC affiliate 9News said they had contracted Dolloff through Pinkerton.
“It has been the practice of 9NEWS for a number of months to contract private security to accompany staff at protests,” they wrote.
At an advisement hearing on Sunday, Dolloff was ordered to be held without bond, according to CBS Denver. The judge had the arrest affidavit sealed.
“Administratively, a security guard operating without a license could be fined up to $999 dollars and face up to a year in jail,” the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses said. “The company he works for is also legally responsible for making sure all their security guard employees have a license and could face administration action against their required security employer license if they have security guards working without a license. We have an open administrative investigation in this case.
9News did not immediately respond to Law&Crime requests for comment.
UPDATE 2/3: …not a protest participant. Immediately following the incident, rumors were circulating regarding the suspect’s affiliation with a particular group. Investigators are unaware of whether the suspect is personally affiliated with any political organization.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) October 11, 2020
“We take loss of life in any situation very seriously and are our hearts go out to those impacted by this situation,” Pinkerton told Law&Crime in a statement. “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 long standing 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.”
They described Dolloff as a “contractor agent from a long standing licensed industry vendor,” which they did not name.
“The vendor is responsible for keeping all licensing and registrations current for agents and it is our understanding that the contractor agent in question has a conceal and carry license,” Pinkerton said.
The Elbert County Sheriff Tim Norton said that Dolloff had a valid concealed weapons permit, which the lawman said he was working on seizing.
Officials have not identified the man who was killed, but loved ones named him as Lee Keltner, a 49-year-old Navy veteran and local businessman.
“He wasn’t a part of any group,” son Johnathon Keltner told The Denver Post. “He was there to rally for the police department and he’d been down there before rallying for the police department.”
“We will miss our friend, very much so,” a friend (who requested not to be named) told KDVR. “He was the guy that would give you the shirt off his back. Not just somebody who was killed in a protest.”
Update – October 12, 5:02 p.m.: Pinkerton responded to a Law&Crime request for comment. We also added information on what the Elbert County Sheriff Tim Norton said about the concealed weapons permit.
[Screengrab of Dolloff being arrested via Brian Loma]
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