Unlicensed guard Matthew Dolloff ‘who shot dead Navy vet at rally’ was Occupy protester and vocal far-Leftist, ex says
THE ex-girlfriend of an unlicensed security guard who allegedly shot and killed a Navy veteran at a rally has claimed he was an Occupy protester and shared far-left opinions online.
Matthew Dolloff, 30, shot dead Lee Keltner at a pro-police Patriot Muster event in Denver, Colorado, on Saturday, police said.
Local TV station 9News had hired Dolloff to protect staff at the rally, where pro-police demonstrators faced off with Black Lives Matter and Antifa counter-protestors.
Dolloff was hired through the Pinkerton security firm, which said it had sub-contracted him from another agency.
The firm declined to name the agency, and on Sunday it was revealed that he was not licensed to serve as a private security guard.
Speaking to the , a woman claiming to be Dolloff's ex-girlfriend shared a look into the alleged shooter's background.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she dated Dolloff from 2010 to 2013, right after leaving high school.
HISTORY OF PROTEST
Both were heavily involved in the Occupy Denver, a local branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement that protests economic inequality, the woman said.
She added that they had protested together for around two years, but after breaking up, the woman said she lost touch.
It wasn't until this weekend's news that she thought about her ex once more.
Following the shooting on Saturday, rumors began to circulate online that Dolloff was motivate by his far-left beliefs.
However, Denver Police Department said Dolloff had no known affiliations with Antifa or Black Lives Matter - a point the 30-year-old's ex confirmed.
She told DailyMail.com: "Matt isn't Antifa or associated with BLM.
"He shares a lot of of the same views and yes, was heavily involved with Occupy Denver/Wall Street but hasn't, from my knowledge been involved in any activism for the last five-plus years.
She added: "I can't really speak on who he is today, but if he's anything like the Matt I remember, he really is a good guy who would go out of his way to help someone in need.
"He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. I can't defend his actions on Saturday, but he's not a bad guy."
Dolloff's ex did confirm that a number of left-wing posts that had been shared online, believed to be by Dolloff, were from his account.
LEFT-WING BELIEFS
Dolloff has no previous criminal charges other than traffic incidents.
The shooting on Saturday made nationwide headlines, after it was captured in a series of more than 70 images by a photographer.
The photos appear to show Keltner slapping Dolloff in the face before they back away from one another.
In the next image, Dolloff can be seen shooting at Keltner as the protestor fires a cloud of pepper spray at Dolloff.
Keltner, 49, was a Navy veteran who ran a hat-making business in the Denver area for many years, his son, Johnathon Keltner, told the Post said.
Johnathon Keltner said: “He wasn’t a part of any group.
MOST READ IN US NEWS
“He was there to rally for the police department and he’d been down there before rallying for the police department.”
Dolloff remained in jail Monday without bond on suspicion of first-degree murder in the shooting, jail records show.
At least three other people have been shot in protests in Colorado this year.