BREAKING NEWS Project Runway star is KILLED at anti-Trump 'No Kings' rally in Utah
A Project Runway star was killed when a man brandished a rifle during an anti-Trump rally in Utah on Saturday.
Arthur Folasa 'Afa' Ah Loo, 39, was struck by a man believed to be part of a peacekeeping team for the 'No Kings' protest in Salt Lake City.
The peacekeeper shot at alleged rifleman Arturo Gamboa, 24, after he reportedly pointed his weapon into the crowd, striking both Gamboa and Ah Loo.
The bystander, who leaves behind a wife and two young children, later died at the hospital, authorities said Sunday.
Police took the into custody Gamboa Saturday evening on a murder charge.
Detectives don't yet know why he 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.
Ah Loo, a fashion designer from Samoa, recently became an American citizen.
He attended the No Kings march because he 'believed that everyone was deserving of basic human rights', Utah Rep. Verona Mauga told KSL-TV.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Police said man believed to be part of the peacekeeping team, dressed in a neon green vest, fired three shots from a handgun at Gamboa, inflicting a relatively minor injury but fatally shooting Ah Loo.
Authorities did not share the man's name.
Volunteer peacekeeping teams are common for protests, said Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for 50501 Movement, which was a partner in the 'No Kings' protest. But the organizers ask attendees, including the peacekeepers, not to bring weapons, she said. Still, Parker said they stopped what could've been a larger mass casualty event.
'Our safety team did as best as they could in a situation that is extremely sad and extremely scary,' said Parker.
Ah Loo, known as Afa, was a husband and father to two children and a fashion designer who leaned into his Samoan heritage, according to a GoFundMe page organized to support his family. Ah Loo founded Creative Pacific, an event celebrating the diversity of the Pacific Islands, with workshops, artists and a fashion runway. He was on Season 17 of the fashion design reality TV show 'Project Runway.'
The gunshots sent hundreds of protesters 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 on Saturday, and organizers said millions rallied against what they described as President Donald Trump's authoritarian tendencies.
Confrontations were largely isolated. In Riverside, California, authorities said a driver of an SUV struck a woman who was participating in a demonstration and sped away. The woman had 'significant injuries' but was stable, police said, adding that they were still searching for the driver.
Outside the Arizona statehouse, a social media video showed protesters Saturday jeering at and then skirmishing with a masked man, who eventually pulled out a handgun, causing the crowd to scatter. Another video showed Arizona Department of Public Safety officers taking the man into custody.
The shooter and another person in a neon vest allegedly saw Gamboa separate from the crowd of marchers in downtown Salt Lake City, move behind a wall and withdraw a rifle around 8 p.m., Redd said.
When the two men in vests confronted Gamboa with their handguns drawn, witnesses said Gamboa raised his rifle into a firing position and ran toward the crowd, said Redd.
That's when one of the men dressed in the vests shot three rounds, hitting Gamboa and Ah Loo, said Redd. Gamboa, who police said didn't have a criminal history, was wounded and treated before being booked into jail.
Redd said that the peacekeepers´ actions are also part of the investigation.
Police said they recovered an AR-15 style rifle, a gas mask and a backpack at the scene.
The Associated Press did not immediately find an attorney listed for Gamboa or contact information for his family in public records.
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