Utah, June 16: A man believed to be part of a peacekeeping team for the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City shot at a person who was brandishing a rifle at demonstrators and hit both the rifleman and a bystander who later died at the hospital, authorities said Sunday.Police took the alleged rifleman, Arturo Gamboa, 24, into custody Saturday evening on a murder charge, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said at a Sunday news conference. The bystander, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, died at the hospital.
Detectives don’t yet know why Gamboa pulled out a rifle or ran from the peacekeepers, but they accused him of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo’s death. The Associated Press did not immediately find an attorney listed for Gamboa or contact information for his family in public records.
Redd said a man dressed in a neon green vest fired three shots from a handgun at Gamboa, inflicting a relatively minor injury but fatally shooting Ah Loo.
The gunshots sent hundreds of protestors running, some hiding behind barriers and fleeing into parking garages and nearby businesses, police said in a statement. “That’s a gun. Come on, come on, get out,” someone can be heard saying in a video posted to social media that appears to show the events.
“No Kings” protests swept across the country Saturday, and organisers said millions rallied against what they described as President Donald Trump’s authoritarian excesses. Confrontations were largely isolated.
In Riverside, California, east of Los Angeles, authorities were searching for the driver of an SUV who sped away after striking a woman participating in a “No Kings” demonstration. The victim was hospitalised Saturday night with “significant injuries” but was stable, police said. Investigators haven’t identified a suspect or a possible motive.
The Utah chapter of the 50501 Movement, which helped organise the protests, said in a statement on Instagram that they condemned the rifleman in Salt Lake City, and thanked first responders and “our safety team” for the quick response.
