He watched his friend get shot by a 9News security guard, now he’s suing the station

Sep 12, 2022

9News and the security firms that hired an unlicensed guard who shot and killed Lee Keltner at a Denver rally in 2020 are now the target of a lawsuit by the victim’s friend who stood witness to the shooting.

Steven Wright was just a few feet away when Matthew Dolloff shot Keltner, who had slapped him.

According to published reports about the lawsuit, Wright still suffers from nightmares about the event. He’s hypervigilant in crowds, has trouble eating and other symptoms linked to post-traumatic stress disorder.

It probably didn’t help Wright’s mental recovery when Denver’s politicized DA office refused to prosecute the unlicensed security guard on the 2nd degree murder charge.

From the Denver Post’s report on the lawsuit:

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said her office did not believe it could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dolloff wasn’t reasonably acting in self-defense when he shot and killed Keltner, citing Keltner’s “very threatening” actions before the shooting

 

Dolloff, 32, shot and killed Keltner, 49, on Oct. 10, 2020, after Keltner yelled at the 9News journalist Dolloff had been hired to protect while covering opposing political rallies in Denver’s Civic Center.

 

Photos taken by The Denver Post show Keltner slapped Dolloff in the face while holding a can of bear spray. Dolloff drew a handgun he had concealed in his waistband and Keltner raised his bear spray. Dolloff shot Keltner as Keltner sprayed the bear repellant at Dolloff.

9News reported on the lawsuit but declined to offer an official comment because (checks notes) they’re getting sued.

You can watch it here as 9News replayed all the video and photos of the drama, tragedy and a man’s death in which its employees directly played a part. That report is sponsored by King Soopers — “leading the charge in optimum wellness!”

PeakNation™ will recall this was the unofficial attitude of the conservative rally 9News was covering at the time, but was deleted from Twitter after their guard killed a man.

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