SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah investigators sought help from the public as they worked to unravel who was at fault when a safety volunteer at a weekend “No Kings” rally fired at an alleged gunman and inadvertently hit and killed a protester.
The safety volunteer, who has not been identified publicly, fired three rounds at Arturo Gamboa, 24, who had allegedly brandished a rifle at Saturday’s crowd in downtown Salt Lake City. The gunshots hit both Gamboa and protester Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, according to the Salt Lake City police.
Gamboa, who did not fire his rifle, was arrested on suspicion of murder, accused of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo’s death, police said. No criminal charges have been filed.
A state judge on Thursday granted a request by prosecutors to extend Gamboa’s detention without bail until 5 p.m. on Monday, while investigators continue interviewing witnesses and reviewing footage of the incident, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said.
Investigators are also looking into whether the safety volunteer was justified in firing his gun, according to police. Police on Wednesday asked the public for more video footage of events surrounding the shooting.
It is unclear what Gamboa intended to do with the rifle. His father Albert Gamboa, reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, declared his son’s innocence in a brief phone call: “My son, Arturo Gamboa, is an innocent guy. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Utah is an open-carry state, meaning people who can legally own a firearm are generally allowed to carry it on a public street.
“Inevitably there are going to be instances like this one, which may or may not have been a misunderstanding,” said Timothy Zick, a William & Mary Law School professor who has written about the laws surrounding public protests.
“It’s hard to sort out who’s acting lawfully with a firearm in the middle of an already crowded, sometimes chaotic protest space,” he said.
The protest of some 18,000 people was otherwise peaceful.
Here’s what is known so far about the shooting:
How did it unfold?
Thousands of protesters were marching through downtown Salt Lake City when, around 8 p.m., the safety volunteer and another man said they spotted Gamboa, who was wearing all black clothing, move behind a wall and withdraw a rifle from a backpack, according to a police news release.
The two men drew their handguns and ordered Gamboa to drop the rifle, but witnesses said he instead moved toward the crowd and held his rifle in a “firing position,” according to police.
The safety volunteer shot three rounds, hitting Gamboa and Ah Loo. Ah Loo died after being taken to a hospital. Gamboa’s wound was relatively minor, and he was arrested nearby by police, who found a rifle, gas mask and backpack in the area.
Police said they do not yet know why Gamboa had the rifle or allegedly disobeyed the orders from the two men.
The protest was one of hundreds nationwide Saturday against President Donald Trump’s military parade in Washington, which marked the Army’s 250th anniversary and coincided with Trump’s birthday.
What are safety marshals for demonstrations?
The Utah chapter of 50501 Movement, which helped organize the “No Kings” protest, said in a statement Monday that the man who confronted Gamboa was a military veteran and “safety volunteer” meant to help maintain order.
“Our team of safety volunteers, who have been selected because of their military, first responder, and other relevant de-escalation experience, believed there was an imminent threat to the protestors and took action,” organizers said.
The group did not give further details on the person’s training or explain why he was armed. Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for 50501 Movement, which helped organize the “No Kings” protests across the country, said all attendees, including those in safety roles, were asked not to bring weapons.
It’s extremely rare for safety teams, often called safety marshals, to be armed. Instead, they rely on calm demeanor, communication skills and relationships with police and protesters to help keep order, said Edward Maguire, an Arizona State University criminology and criminal justice professor.
“Arming marshals or peacekeepers is widely discouraged, as it tends to create more problems than it solves,” Maguire said.
Police said the permit for the protest did not specify that there would be armed security, and event staffers’ roles were under investigation.
Who was the protester 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 39-year-old was born in Samoa but lived in Utah for about a decade.
Ah Loo, 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 AP. Their families were both from the small village of Lotopa in Samoa, she said.
Ah Loo 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 August fashion show, which Powell said will now honor Ah Loo’s unwavering commitment to his community.
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Bedayn reported from Denver. Associated Press writer Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, contributed.
