A pro-police rally in Denver became violent and turned deadly on Saturday afternoon at a protest between opposing groups at Civic Center Park. One person was shot and killed, and a Denver news station’s private security guard was taken into custody. The man who was shot was part of a pro-police “Patriot Rally,” according to reports.
Police have not confirmed the shooter’s or the victim’s identity at this point. The altercation apparently started with a verbal argument before escalating to a shooting. The suspect was a security guard working to protect members of KUSA Television crews, according to the station’s website. “It has been the practice of (KUSA) for a number of months to hire private security to accompany staff at protests,” the station said.
Immediately after the shooting, a photograph from a Denver Post photographer began posting images on social media of a man spraying a chemical agent at another man who had a drawn handgun.
The shooting took place in the courtyard of the Denver Art Museum during the “Patriot Rally,” which was met by a counter-protest group who dubbed their rally a “BLM-Antifa Soup Drive.” The incident was captured by the city police surveillance cameras and Denver police confirm they have footage of the incident, and who report that two guns were found on the scene.
On twitter, John “Tig” Tiegan, the organizer of the Patriot Rally, said the event was intended to “fight back, push back, time to take our country back.”
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