SALT LAKE CITY – Violence erupted during the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City when a man reportedly displayed a rifle near the crowd. This action prompted another individual close by to fire three shots, striking the man with the rifle and a protester who tragically passed away.
Authorities stated that Arturo Gamboa, 24, did not discharge his rifle but was still taken into custody on a murder charge for allegedly creating the hazardous circumstances that resulted in the death of protester Arthur Folasa Ah Loo.
The police in Salt Lake City announced on Monday that the investigation will delve into whether the individual who fired at Gamboa and Ah Loo had valid reasons for using his weapon.
Questions remain over why Gamboa was carrying a rifle and whether the man who shot him, who police have not publicly identified, was part of an organized safety team for the demonstration or acting on his own initiative.
Here’s what is known so far about the shooting at the otherwise peaceful protest.
How did the shooting unfold?
Hundreds of protesters were marching through downtown Salt Lake City on Saturday when, around 8 p.m., two men said they spotted Gamboa, who was wearing all black clothing, move behind a wall and then withdraw a rifle from a backpack, according to a news release from police.
The two men drew their handguns and ordered Gamboa to drop the rifle, but witnesses said the young man instead moved toward the crowd and held his rifle in a “firing position,” according to police.
One of the two men shot three rounds, hitting Gamboa and Ah Loo. Gamboa’s wound was relatively minor and he was arrested nearby by police, who found a rifle, gas mask and backpack in the area.
Ah Loo died after being taken to a hospital.
Police said they don’t yet know why Gamboa carried a rifle or disobeyed the orders from the two men. The Associated Press could not immediately find attorney listed for Gamboa or contact information for his family in public records.
Was the man who shot Gamboa and Ah Loo a “peacekeeper”?
The two men who confronted Gamboa wore neon green vests and one of them later described himself to investigators as a “peacekeeper.”
However, police said they don’t yet know whether the two men were brought in by the event’s organizers or were acting on their own initiative, adding that there’s no indication that the men were current or former members of law enforcement.
Protests often have safety teams — sometimes called safety marshals — that help keep order during a demonstration.
For the “No Kings” protests, all attendees, including those in safety roles, were asked not to bring weapons, said Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for 50501 Movement, which helped organize the demonstrations.
The permit for the protest did not say that there would be armed security, police said.
Who was the protestor who was killed?
Ah Loo was a successful fashion designer and former “Project Runway” contestant who devoted his life to celebrating artists from the Pacific Islands.
Benjamin Powell, a friend of Ah Loo’s, said the designer was born in Samoa but lived in Utah for about a decade.
Ah Loo, who was a self-taught designer known to many as Afa, devoted his life to doing “good things for his neighbors and community,” state Rep. Verona Mauga, a close friend, told The Associated Press. Their families were from the small village of Lotopa in Samoa, she said.
The 39-year-old leaves behind a wife and two young children, according to a GoFundMe page for his family.
Powell said he and Ah Loo were working on an upcoming August fashion show, which Powell said will now honor Ah Loo’s unwavering commitment to his community.
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