A 39-year-old man died Saturday night after being shot during Salt Lake City’s “No Kings” protest while a crowd of about 10,000 people marched near 151 S. State Street, the Salt Lake City Police Department confirmed Sunday.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a Utah resident, was shot at the demonstration. Despite life-saving efforts from SWAT medics and Salt Lake City Fire, Ah Loo died at an area hospital.
As of Sunday morning there were still unreleased details about the incident as the investigation is ongoing, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said in a news conference.
A chaotic scene ensued after two armed men in high visibility vests, who Redd described as “possibly part of the event’s peacekeeping team” saw 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa separating from the crowd, moving behind a wall, pulling out a rifle and starting to manipulate it.
“Gamboa was then confronted by these two men, witnesses say. Gamboa raised the weapon in a firing position and began running toward the crowd,” Redd said on Sunday. “One of the individuals fired three rounds, striking Gamboa, and tragically striking the man who later died.”
The preliminary police investigation found that the victim was not the intended target, “but rather an innocent bystander participating in the demonstration,” Redd said. Gamboa also sustained a minor gunshot wound in the confrontation.
As the scene unfolded, a bystander took a backpack from Gamboa that contained an AR-15 style rifle and a gas mask, Redd said.
Gamboa’s motivations for being at the protest are still unclear, and there is no indication that others were working with him, Redd said.
Detectives booked Gamboa into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail for investigation of murder, police said in a release.
Gamboa has no criminal history, police said. Jail documents state he is being held without bail.
Police had not taken any action against the two peacekeeping members as of Sunday, Redd said. The man who fired the shots is cooperating with police.
The scene was chaotic and unfolded very quickly, Redd said, but many people assisted the officers.
“The crowd actually pointed him out to law enforcement, and their actions were heroic,” Redd said.
In a Facebook post Sunday morning, Utah 50501 — the group that organized Saturday’s protest — said it is currently working with police.
“Our team was directly involved. We have been in direct contact with law enforcement,” the Facebook post read. “Some of you seem to think a keyboard and social media give you a free pass to be nasty and accusatory. Our teams just had to deal with something extremely traumatizing and when faced with personal risk to their own lives, chose to run towards the danger in order to serve this community.”
The group said it’s working to set up a vigil for the victim.
“We respectfully ask to refrain from speculation about the alleged shooter’s motives and identity — that information will come out soon enough. It is better to wait for the facts, even though it is difficult given the emotional and charged nature of this incident,” the group said in a separate Facebook post Sunday morning. “This was a horrific moment of violence in a historic day full of thousands of Utahns exercising their right to protest. Nothing will ever change the undeniable strength of our community.”
‘A heartbreaking situation’
Before the news of Ah Loo’s death went public, Salt Lake City Democrats Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost and Sen. Jen Plumb, who represent downtown communities in the Legislature, issued a statement expressing “distress, dismay and sorrow” about the Saturday shooting in Salt Lake City and the assassination of the Minnesota House Democratic-Farmer-Labor caucus leader Melissa Hortman.
The Democrats said that these are “stark examples of the current crisis of our nation’s integrity.”
“As many have stated, violence has no place here,” the lawmakers wrote in a joint statement. “We would argue more strongly, however, that every elected official must actively partake in changing the horrific rhetoric and divisiveness that drives public discourse in our society today; rhetoric that is supported and perpetuated by many in our state and nation’s top leadership positions.”
Simple remarks, the lawmakers said, will not suffice as a response.
Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, extended condolences to Ah Loo’s family in a social media post, describing the incident as “a heartbreaking situation.”
“My thoughts are with everyone affected,” Adams wrote. “I also want to express my gratitude to all the security officers whose quick response helped prevent a mass casualty. In difficult moments like this, we must come together with shared compassion and a commitment to unity.”
This report was originally published at UtahNewsDispatch.com.
