Today, October 19, Matthew Dolloff, hired by 9News as a security guard for a crew covering a so-called Patriot Muster and a Black Lives Matter/Antifa soup drive both scheduled at the Civic Center on October 10, will be formally charged with second-degree murder by the Denver District Attorney's office. In the meantime, Jeremiah Elliott, a BLM activist who got into a dust-up with Keltner shortly before Keltner sprayed a cloud of chemicals in Dolloff's direction and the security guard pulled the trigger, is speaking out about threats made against him.
During an interview with CBS4 on October 18, Elliott wore a bulletproof vest.
Elliott has been under attack by the right-wing press since videos of the slaying surfaced, even though he was unarmed and the Mace-carrying Keltner had moved away from him before getting in the way of Dolloff's bullet. In recent days, these attacks have been bolstered by video that appears to show Elliott in a celebratory mood after Keltner went down. He can be heard in the clip below saying "One less white supremacist!" and "Fuck, yeah, right in the dome!"
Elliott declined to comment about the video when speaking to CBS4. But far-right and neo-Nazi groups have been directing the same kind of vitriol against Black Lives Matter and Antifa advocates for several months, as evidenced by a collection of hateful online posts assembled by Denver attorney Jason Flores-Williams for a lawsuit filed against Facebook over protester murders in Kenosha, Wisconsin, earlier this year. (Click to access a Google Drive link containing a huge number of disturbing examples.)DENVER: Jeremiah Elliot, the Black Lives Matter agitator who sparked the arguments leading up to the innocent killing of Lee Keltner, brags about the murder at the scene.
— Katie Daviscourt???????? (@KatieDaviscourt) October 14, 2020
Jeremiah Elliot: “one less white supremacist” and “fu** yeah, right in the dome.” pic.twitter.com/8FV9XM42Md
Westword received allegations of threats against BLM witnesses after the Keltner shooting that echo what Elliott describes in a new GoFundMe page he's launched to finance what he describes as a "safety fund." Its introduction reads:
Since this incident occurred my life is in imminent danger as I am currently getting harassed and stalked online and off. They have contacted previous employment and housing and are trying to find my location. It is imperative that I get your help now when it is needed. Anything helps. All fund will go to my personal safety. Stay strong stay safe.Just over $700 has been donated to the cause.
Meanwhile, lawyers are weighing in on both sides. Dolloff attorney Doug Richards insists that his client was merely doing his job on October 10, rather than secretly supporting the progressive forces, and fired in self-defense. In contrast, William Boyle is doing his best to portray Keltner, whose family he represents, as an America-loving good guy rather than a combustible personality itching for just the sort of confrontation that erupted, albeit with tragic results.
Narratives like these will battle it out in the court of public opinion for weeks and months to come.
