DENVER (KDVR) — A private security guard contracted through Pinkerton by 9NEWS is the suspect in custody after a fatal shooting near the Denver Art Museum just after a rival-rally group protest was dispersing on Saturday.
A “Patriot Muster” rally for a far-right militia group and a “BLM-Antifa Soup Drive” hosted by Denver Communists, Denver-Boulder Socialist Revolution and other groups, according to its Facebook page, had just ended at Civic Center Park when officers in the area radioed that shots had been fired around 3:30 p.m.
A man was on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound when officers arrived at the scene between the Denver Art Museum and the Denver Public Library, Denver Division Chief Joe Montoya said.
Authorities provided aid until the victim was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased shortly after.
Two suspects were taken into custody following the shooting. Montoya said only one remained in custody and police later said he is a private security guard with no affiliation to Antifa. Two guns and a mace can were retrieved at the scene, Montoya said.
“A private security guard who was hired by 9NEWS is the suspect detained by DPD,” KUSA reported. “The 9NEWS producer is no longer in police custody and is not a suspect.”
A video obtained by FOX31 shows an intensely heated argument between two people just before the shooting occurred. A Black man wearing a ‘Black Guns Matter’ shirt yelled at another man with a mace can in hand.
The video below is the cut version of what FOX31 aired. The original video is graphic with explicit and offensive language.
The man with the mace appears to walk away then distributes the spray away from the Black man he was arguing with and is shot. The victim fell to the ground and police quickly rushed in.
Denver police said Denver Sheriff, Arapahoe County Sheriff and Douglas County Sheriff officers were present for the protest and the shooting.
