Utah officials are investigating the role that so-called peacekeepers played in the killing of celebrated fashion designer Arthur Folasa Ah Loo on Saturday at the “No Kings” demonstration in Salt Lake City, police said.
The investigation will focus on staffing at the march, including the responsibilities assigned to people working and volunteering at the protest. It was unclear, police said, whether the “peacekeepers” were hired by event organizers or acted on their own.
“While the Salt Lake City Police Department was aware that Saturday’s demonstration would include people in support roles, such as those helping to marshal or guide the crowd, these functions are entirely internal to the event,” police said in a statement.
“From the department’s standpoint, these persons are considered members of the public, subject to the same rights and responsibilities as any other person in Utah,” it continued.
No state permit is required to purchase a rifle, shotgun or handgun in Utah.
The event permit did not include any mention of armed security, police said. Neither of the men involved in Ah Loo’s shooting are current or former members of law enforcement. They were wearing high-visibility neon green vests and carrying handguns.
Ah Loo, 39, died Saturday night at a hospital after being struck by a bullet that was intended for a man who is now in police custody, Arturo Gamboa.
Two “peacekeepers” told police they saw Gamboa, 24, pull out an AR-15-style rifle from a backpack and “begin manipulating it.” They shouted at Gamboa to drop his weapon, but he allegedly advanced on a crowd of protesters with his rifle raised, according to police records. One of the “peacekeepers” fired three rounds at Gamboa and accidentally hit Ah Loo, police said.
Gamboa received minor injuries and was arrested at the scene for investigation of murder. Although he did not fire the fatal shot, Gamboa could be charged with murder because detectives “developed probable cause that Gamboa acted under circumstances that showed a depraved indifference to human life, knowingly engaged in conduct that created a grave risk of death and ultimately caused the death of an innocent community member,” police said.
Event organizers from the 50501 Movement – Utah did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement posted to social media, the group thanked first responders and safety teams.
“And to the protester we lost, we will not forget you,” the statement said.
The national chapter of 50501 said in a statement posted to social media that a “local volunteer” fired the three rounds that killed Ah Loo. The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“In the face of this heartbreaking situation, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence and to our non-negotiable prohibition of firearms policy for anyone representing 50501 at any of our actions or events,” the statement read. “It is clear we do not have a complete understanding of what happened yet.
“What is certain is that, if no guns were present at the protest, this tragedy would have been prevented altogether.”
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