Gunfire erupted Saturday night at a “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City, Utah, killing an innocent bystander, according to police.
According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, approximately 10,000 people gathered downtown as part of a nationwide protest against President Trump’s military parade in Washington, D.C. and his policies.
Cops heard a volley of shots just before 8 p.m., sending panicked demonstrators fleeing to parking garages and local businesses for safety. Officers discovered a man, later identified as 39-year-old Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who was shot. First responders attempted to save Ah Loo, but their efforts were unsuccessful, and he died.
Witnesses then pointed to a man dressed in black and wearing a mask, crouched among a group of protesters with a gunshot wound. He was allegedly holding an AR-15-style rifle, which was nearby. He was identified by cops as Arturo Gamboa, 24.
Cops also detained two men in neon vests who appeared to be members of the event’s peacekeeping team.
The peacekeepers said they noticed Gamboa move away from the crowd and behind a wall, which they considered suspicious. Then they allegedly saw Gamboa pull the rifle from his backpack. They ordered him to drop the weapon, but witnesses reported that he “began running toward the crowd gathered on State Street, holding the weapon in a firing position,” cops wrote.
At that point, one of the peacekeepers allegedly fired three shots. Police said one hit Gamboa and the other hit Ah Loo.
“Detectives have not been able to determine, at this time, why Gamboa pulled out his rifle and began to manipulate it or why he ran from the peacekeepers when they confronted him,” according to the police.
Gamboa is now charged with murder after he “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,” according to a press release. According to police, Gamboa did not fire his weapon.
“Our detectives are now working to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident,” the chief, Brian Redd, said. “We will not allow this individual act to create fear in our community.”
