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A tragic shooting occurred Sunday during the “No Kings” anti-Trump protest in Salt Lake City, Utah, when a man attending the event was fatally wounded amid a confrontation involving an armed individual reportedly acting as a peacekeeper.
Authorities identified the victim as 39-year-old Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who was attending protests against federal immigration enforcement raids downtown on June 14. Police clarified that Ah Loo was not the intended target of the gunfire.
The shooting erupted as peacekeepers at the event confronted 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, who allegedly brandished an AR-15-style rifle during a tense standoff. Gamboa, believed to be serving as a peacekeeper himself, reportedly moved away from the crowd, retrieved the weapon from a backpack behind a wall, and began handling it.
According to witnesses, two peacekeepers wearing neon vests spotted Gamboa’s actions and ordered him to drop the rifle. Instead of complying, Gamboa raised the weapon in a firing position and charged toward the assembled crowd on State Street. In response, one of the peacekeepers fired three shots, striking Gamboa and tragically wounding Ah Loo.
Panic ensued as hundreds of protesters fled the scene. Despite receiving emergency medical care and being rushed to the hospital, Ah Loo succumbed to his injuries.
Gamboa was arrested and charged with murder. The two peacekeepers involved were also detained to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Police officials noted that the motivation behind Gamboa’s decision to draw his rifle or his attempt to advance on the crowd remains unclear. Authorities have established probable cause that Gamboa acted with “depraved indifference to human life,” knowingly creating a grave risk that led to the death of an innocent person.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd emphasized the department’s commitment to investigating the incident thoroughly, stating, “We will not allow this individual act to create fear in our community.”
At the scene, officers recovered the rifle, a gas mask, black clothing, and a backpack belonging to Gamboa.
Utah50501, the organization behind the protest, expressed on Facebook that their teams faced a harrowing situation but bravely moved toward danger to protect the community.
The Salt Lake City demonstration drew roughly 10,000 participants and was part of a nationwide series of protests ignited by ICE raids beginning June 6 in Los Angeles. The unrest has since spread to multiple cities including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Washington, and Chicago.
Notably, President Trump has authorized National Guard and Marine deployments to Los Angeles to manage riots, a move Governor Gavin Newsom criticized as a “serious breach of state sovereignty.” Law enforcement also reported violence in other cities; for instance, Austin police said rioters threw rocks and spat on officers during an unlawful assembly, injuring four officers.
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