DENVER — A close friend of the man who was fatally shot by a security guard hired by 9NEWS in 2020 has sued 9NEWS and its parent company TEGNA, saying that he suffered “severe emotional distress,” including post-traumatic stress disorder.
Steven Wright witnessed the shooting of Lee Keltner on Oct. 10, 2020. The lawsuit filed on Wright’s behalf on Aug. 10 in Weld County District Court also names Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, Inc. and Isborn Security Services LLC as defendants.
Matthew Dolloff, an unlicensed security guard, was charged with second-degree murder for the shooting of Keltner, which occurred near the tail end of dueling rallies in downtown Denver. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann dropped the charges in March of this year.
Dolloff was contracted through the security company Pinkerton by 9NEWS. It was the practice of 9NEWS for a number of months to contract private security to accompany staff at protests.
Pinkerton subcontracted with another company – Isborn Security Services – to hire Dolloff, and told the Denver Department of Excise and Licensing that it was unaware that he did not have a license to work as a security guard in Denver.
The 2020 demonstrations included members of Black Lives Matter, as well as people attending what they had dubbed a "Patriot Muster."
Wright attended the patriot rally with Keltner. According to the complaint, another man approached their group as they were in a plaza near the Denver Art Museum and engaged in a verbal altercation.
Wright is seen in a photo standing in between Keltner and the man attempting to de-escalate the situation.
During this confrontation, the complaint says, Keltner pulled out a can of pepper spray.
A 9NEWS employee and Dolloff were standing within feet of the confrontation, according to the complaint, which also says the 9NEWS employee had no “outward identification as press.” Dolloff also had no outward identification as a security guard, the complaint says.
Keltner told the 9NEWS employee who was recording on his cellphone “to get the cameras out of here,” the complaint says.
At that time, Dolloff reached for Keltner’s pepper spray, and in response, Keltner smacked Dolloff in the side of the head, the complaint says. In the seconds that followed, Dolloff pulled out a gun and fired at Keltner while Keltner deployed pepper spray at Dolloff.
The complaint says Dolloff fired, “even though Mr. Keltner had stepped back and did not pose a threat of lethal harm.”
According to the complaint, Isborn, Pinkerton and 9NEWS “recklessly” employed Dolloff by failing to ensure that all laws, ordinances and regulations were being followed. Some of the allegations in the complaint include:
- Failure to determine or confirm if Dolloff was a licensed security guard
- Failure to determine or confirm if Dolloff had completed basic security guard training
- Failure to determine or confirm if Dolloff was authorized to carry a firearm while providing security services
- Failure to determine or confirm if Dolloff was authorized to wear plainclothes while providing security services
The complaint accuses 9NEWS of being reckless and negligent for failing to disclose Dolloff’s status as a security guard to the public and argues that 9NEWS is liable for the damages caused by Pinkerton, Isborn, and Dolloff.
Wright is seeking economic and noneconomic damages as well as damages for physical impairment. A jury trial was requested.
In a statement regarding the lawsuit, 9NEWS management wrote, “We don’t comment on pending litigation.”
9NEWS management previously released the following statement about the incident on Oct. 12, 2020:
“9NEWS continues to cooperate fully with law enforcement and is deeply saddened by this loss of life.
“For the past few months, it has been the practice of 9NEWS to contract private security, through an outside firm, to accompany our personnel covering protests. Pinkerton, the private security firm, is responsible for ensuring its guards or those it contracts with are appropriately licensed. 9NEWS does not contract directly with individual security personnel.”
Isborn Security Services agreed to surrender its license to operate in Denver.
In March, DA McCann announced that the second-degree murder charge against Dolloff was dropped, in part, she said, because Keltner was the initial aggressor.
“Under Colorado’s law, Matthew Dolloff had no duty to retreat and was legally justified in his actions. While I do not agree with Mr. Dolloff’s decision to use lethal force, the fact remains he had the right to do so under our law,” McCann said in a statement in March.
RELATED: Denver judge overturns decision to remove license for security company involved in shooting
The Denver Department of Excise and License had previously revoked the license for Pinkerton Security; however, it was reinstated this summer following an appeal by the company.
9NEWS has reached out to both Isborn and Pinkerton for comment on the lawsuit but has not yet heard back.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS