Lawyer for TV station security guard, 30, who shot dead Navy veteran, 49, at a 'Patriot Muster' protest in Denver tells judge there's 'obvious evidence of self-defense'
Matthew Dolloff , 30, was charged Monday with second-degree murder for killing Lee Keltner, 49, on October 10
A lawyer representing a television station security guard who shot and killed a demonstrator during opposing right- and left-leaning rallies this month told a judge Wednesday that there was 'obvious evidence of self-defense'.
Public defender Valerie Cole also asked a judge during a brief court hearing to consider lowering Matthew Dolloff's $500,000 bond so he could have a chance of being released from jail.
Dolloff was charged with second-degree murder on Monday.
Judge Shelley Gilman said she would leave a decision on bond to the judge who would be handling the case going forward.
Dolloff appeared by video from jail, where he has been held since shooting 49-year-old Lee Keltner on October 10 while being paid by KUSA-TV to protect its staffers who were covering a 'Patriot Muster' demonstration and a 'BLM-Antifa Soup Drive' counterprotest.
In court, he wore green scrubs and a surgical mask, answering 'Yes, your honor' to questions from the judge about the legal process and his rights.
William Boyle, a lawyer for Keltner's widow, said Friday that he thinks the evidence available supports a second-degree murder charge.
Under Colorado law, second-degree murder is defined as knowingly killing someone but without the deliberation prosecutors are required to prove in first-degree murder cases.
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Lee Keltner, 49, was a US Navy veteran. At the time of his death, he was taking part in a pro-police 'Patriot Muster' rally
This image captures the moment Keltner sprays mace, as Dolloff fatally fires a semiautomatic gun at him in Denver
Keltner staggers backward after Dolloff fired his weapon into the cloud of mace
Boyle said he has reached out to KUSA-TV, Pinkerton and Isborn Security, the security company that said it hired Dolloff for the work as a contractor to Pinkerton, seeking more information about their actions.
He said he did not immediately hear back from them and that a lawsuit against any entity involved in allowing Dolloff to work without a license was a possibility in order to 'open a conversation'.
'We are just trying to find out exactly what happened, why it happened and who is responsible for creating the situation that resulted in Mr Keltner's death,' he said.
Video from bystanders, including the TV producer Dolloff was working with at the time, and photos from The Denver Post show Keltner - who attended the 'Patriot Muster' rally, according to his family's attorney - at first arguing with a Black man wearing a Black Guns Matter T-shirt before getting into an altercation with Dolloff.
Cellphone video from the unnamed TV producer suggests Keltner was upset that the original argument was being recorded.
The video shows Keltner, holding a spray can, walking out of view.
In this October 10 photo, Dolloff right, turns after fatally shooting Keltner following opposing rallies
Dolloff drops his gun and kneels with his hands in the air as he is taken into custody after the fatal shooting
A man's voice - it's unclear if it's Keltner - is heard saying the area was no place for cameras.
'Get the cameras out of here or I'm going to f**k you up,' the unidentified man says. Keltner and Dolloff are then shown scuffling before the video stops.
Photos from the Post show Dolloff pointing his gun at Keltner as he fires what police said was pepper spray at Dolloff before Keltner falls to the ground.
Police said Keltner had slapped Dolloff in the head before Dolloff pulled out his weapon.
When the TV producer resumes filming after the shooting, he tells arriving police that he is with the press and that the man who was shot 'was going to get me'.
He also says the security guard shot Keltner because Keltner used mace.
People convicted of second-degree murder face a mandatory sentence of between 16 and 48 years in prison.