Matthew Dolloff, the man arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder after being photographed shooting another man dead in Denver on Oct. 10, didn’t have a license to be a security guard, a city agency said Oct. 11.
“I can confirm no individual by that name currently holds or has ever held a security guard license in the city and county of Denver,” Eric Escudero, a spokesman for the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses, told The Epoch Times via email.
9News, an NBC affiliate, said that it hired Dolloff, 30, for “private security.”
The broadcaster said it contracted Dolloff through Pinkerton.
Pinkerton hasn’t responded to requests for comment. Neither 9News nor several 9News employees, including a producer who was briefly detained at the shooting scene, have responded to inquiries.
The Denver Police Department said late Oct. 11 that at the time of the shooting, Dolloff “was acting in a professional capacity as an armed security guard for a local media outlet and not a protest participant.”
Denver law requires security guards to have a license, as well as security guard employers.
Security guards working without a license could face a fine of up to $999 and up to one year in jail.
The penalty for companies that hire unlicensed security guards isn’t clear, Escudero said.
There’s an open administrative investigation into the situation concerning Dolloff.
According to the city’s website, as of Nov. 1, 2018, anyone who wants to renew an older form of the security guard license, called a merchant guard license, or begin working as a security guard, must apply for a new security guard license.
The Denver Department of Excise and Licenses aims to complete applications within seven days, but incomplete submissions or police review requirements could lead to a longer processing time period.
Required documents include an affidavit of criminal and employment history, a certificate of security guard training completion, and an FBI background check.
While Dolloff awaits further court proceedings in jail, relatives and friends of the man he shot are in mourning.
John Tiegen, who organized the patriot rally that triggered the Denver Communists to hold a counter-demonstration, issued a statement early Oct. 11, calling himself “deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of a fellow American patriot after a rally in Denver.”
Most demonstrators were returning to their vehicles when the shot was fired, Tiegen said.
“An investigation is underway to determine how and why the shooting occurred. Regardless of the circumstances, I want to send my deepest condolences to the family of the victim. It’s tragic that Americans find themselves in danger just by coming together and showing support for their country,” he said.
“The fact that simple things like wearing patriotic attire now makes you a target in an American city should be a concern for every freedom-loving person.”
