Man attending pro-police rally in Denver shot, killed by TV news station security guard

A man who attended a pro-police "Patriot Rally" in Denver was shot and killed by a local news station's private security guard after a verbal altercation, police said.

The security guard was taken into custody immediately after the shooting, which occurred after dueling protests in the city.

"This shooting is now being investigated as a Homicide. ... Further investigation has determined the suspect is a private security guard with no affiliation with Antifa," Denver police said in a series of tweets Saturday night.

KUSA-TV said the suspect in police custody was a private security guard hired by the news station to protect journalists during protests. A producer was initially arrested along with the security guard but has been released.

"The private security guard was contracted through Pinkerton by 9NEWS," the station said. "It has been the practice of 9NEWS for a number of months to hire private security to accompany staff at protests."