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How A Fatal Shooting At Political Rallies In Denver Fueled An Online Culture War

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9min 50sec
Nathaniel Minor/Denverite
Right-wing protesters and counter-demonstrators faced off, separated by police, in Civic Center Park on October 10, 2020.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, a shouting match near the Denver Central Library ended with a burst of pepper spray and a fatal gunshot in broad daylight. The victim: Lee Keltner. The shooter: Matthew Dolloff. Keltner and Dolloff would likely be unknown to one another — and the rest of the country —  had it not been for the collision of political forces in downtown Denver that day. But now they are at the heart of a conflict among groups whose names differ depending on whom you ask: patriots and communists, fascists and Antifa, left and right.