Fans, family and friends are mourning the death of a fashion designer killed during the weekend’s No Kings protest in Salt Lake City.
Police said two men believed to be designated peacekeepers at the rally spotted a man raising a gun and charging towards the crowd. That’s when one of those men fired, striking both the man with the gun and an innocent bystander.
Emergency personnel rushed the bystander to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The victim has been identified as Arthur Folasa Ah Loo.
The victim was a noted fashion designer in the Salt Lake City area and also appeared in season 17 of Project Runway.
Gunman Identified
According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, officers would later spot another man with a gunshot wound dressed in all black clothing and wearing a black mask.
Officers also spotted a nearby firearm described as an AR-15-style rifle and a gas mask. Police identified him as 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa and charged him with murder.
“Detectives have developed probable cause that Gamboa acted under circumstances that 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,” police said in a statement.
The two peacekeepers were also detained.
Detectives are actively investigating the case, including the action of the peacekeepers.
‘No Kings’ protests opposing the policies of President Trump were held in some 2,000 communities June 14. They were largely peaceful and without incident.
Read the full story at AsAmNews.
ACoM adds: A GoFundMe page has been established on behalf of Loo’s wife Laura, and their two children, Vera and Isaac. The fundraiser has already garnered over $212,000 in donations.
“Afa was a proud Samoan, deeply connected to his culture and community. Through his work with the nonprofit Creative Pacific and his incredible talent as a fashion designer, he shared his heritage with passion and creativity,” wrote the fund’s organizers. “But more than anything, Afa was proud of the life he built with his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children, Vera and Isaac.”
“This unimaginable loss has left a profound void in their lives,” they wrote.
