A man who was shot during a “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday, died in the hospital, police have announced.
“Our victim was not the intended target, but rather an innocent bystander participating in the demonstration,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said in a press conference on Sunday.
Police have identified the victim as Utah resident Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39. The Utah medical examiner’s officer will determine his official cause of death.
The Saturday night shooting began when Utah resident Arturo Gamboa, 24, allegedly raised a gun and ran towards a protest crowd around 8pm.
Two individuals in neon vests armed with handguns, thought to be serving on a “peacekeeping team” for the event, then move to intervene.
“During interviews, detectives learned the two peacekeepers saw Gamboa move away from the crowd and move into a secluded area behind a wall – behavior they found suspicious,” a police statement reads. “One of the peacekeepers told detectives he saw Gamboa pull out an AR-15-style rifle from a backpack and begin manipulating it. The peacekeepers drew their firearms and ordered Gamboa to drop the weapon.”
Witnesses said that Gamboa instead lifted his rifle and ran towards a crowd on State Street, holding the weapon in firing position.
“One of the individuals fired three rounds, striking Gamboa and tragically striking the man who later died,” Redd said at the press conference.
Gamboa, who had a minor gunshot wound, was later found “hiding in a group of people,” Redd said, and officers recovered an AR-15 style assault rifle and a gas mask nearby.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
