The suspect in the fatal shooting of a yet to be identified victim in Denver on Saturday is a private security guard, The Denver Police Department (DPD) reported.
“Further investigation has determined the suspect is a private security guard with no affiliation with Antifa. Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” DPD tweeted.
9NEWS, an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado, confirmed that the security guard was its contractor, tasked with providing security for a reporter at the scene.
“9NEWS hired the guard to accompany a 9NEWS employee covering an afternoon of competing protests nearby,” the channel said.
Police initially reported that two people were taken into custody in the wake of the incident, that unfolded after 3:00 pm in Denver, as the tensions were flying high between the participants of a right-wing ‘Patriot Muster’ rally and a duelling ‘BLM-Antifa Soup Drive,’ organized by the Denver Communists.
The channel admitted that the second person, who was detained but then released by police, was their producer.
9News noted that the producer is not facing any charges stemming from the incident.
“The 9NEWS producer is no longer in police custody and is not a suspect.”
By stating that the alleged shooter was not affiliated with Antifa, a loosely organized group of far-left activists, police apparently sought to dispel rumours that the gunman was a BLM activist.
The Denver Post reported initially that the shots were fired after a brawl between a right-wing protester and “a left-wing demonstrator” saw the former macing the latter, and the left-wing demonstrator then opening fire in response.
However, shortly after, the newspaper amended its story, saying that police “called into question” the report of the Denver Post’s journalist who was at the scene when the shot rang out “concerning the affiliation of the shooter.”
DETAILS TO FOLLOW
© 2020, paradox. All rights reserved.
