'Peacekeepers' under scrutiny in deadly Salt Lake City protest shooting
Utah officials are investigating the role that so-called peacekeepers played in the killing of celebrated fashion designer Arthur Folasa Ah Loo on Saturday at the 'No Kings' demonstration in Salt Lake City, police said.
The investigation will focus on staffing at the march, including the responsibilities assigned to people working and volunteering at the protest. It was unclear, police said, whether the 'peacekeepers' were hired by event organizers or acted on their own.
'While the Salt Lake City Police Department was aware that Saturday's demonstration would include people in support roles, such as those helping to marshal or guide the crowd, these functions are entirely internal to the event,' police said in a statement.
'From the department's standpoint, these persons are considered members of the public, subject to the same rights and responsibilities as any other person in Utah,' it continued.
No state permit is required to purchase a rifle, shotgun or handgun in Utah.
The event permit did not include any mention of armed security, police said. Neither of the men involved in Ah Loo's shooting are current or former members of law enforcement. They were wearing high-visibility neon green vests and carrying handguns.
Ah Loo, 39, died Saturday night at a hospital after being struck by a bullet that was intended for a man who is now in police custody, Arturo Gamboa.
Two 'peacekeepers' told police they saw Gamboa, 24, pull out an AR-15-style rifle from a backpack and 'begin manipulating it.' They shouted at Gamboa to drop his weapon, but he allegedly advanced on a crowd of protesters with his rifle raised, according to police records. One of the 'peacekeepers' fired three rounds at Gamboa and accidentally hit Ah Loo, police said.
Gamboa received minor injuries and was arrested at the scene for investigation of murder. Although he did not fire the fatal shot, Gamboa could be charged with murder because detectives '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.
Event organizers from the 50501 Movement - Utah did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement posted to social media, the group thanked first responders and safety teams.
'And to the protester we lost, we will not forget you,' the statement said.
The national chapter of 50501 said in a statement posted to social media that a 'local volunteer' fired the three rounds that killed Ah Loo. The group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
'In the face of this heartbreaking situation, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence and to our non-negotiable prohibition of firearms policy for anyone representing 50501 at any of our actions or events,' the statement read. 'It is clear we do not have a complete understanding of what happened yet.
'What is certain is that, if no guns were present at the protest, this tragedy would have been prevented altogether.'
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
21 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving longstanding grievance
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Trump said in a social media post in which he also sought to favorably contrast his immigration enforcement approach with that of the former president. 'The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!'
CBS News
28 minutes ago
- CBS News
Man charged in killing of Maryland business owner also accused of vandalizing school
One of two suspects charged in the murder of a Maryland business owner is also being accused of vandalizing a school, according to charging documents. Jonah Michael Poole, 18, who is also facing murder, assault, and arson charges in relation to the murder of Edward Stephen Koza in early June, has also been charged with hate crime, vandalism, and harassment charges. On May 15, Anne Arundel County police responded to the Summit School in Edgewater for a report of vandalism and a hate crime that occurred. Police spoke with Director Dr. Joan McCarthy when they arrived. A swastika and derogatory phrases about sexual orientation had been spray-painted on the exterior of the gym building, as well as the main school building, police said. Video surveillance provided to officers showed a white male dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt with a tan shirt wrapped around his head arrive on the scene around 1:00 a.m. that morning before spray-painting buildings. Murder of Anne Arundel County business owner Human remains of Koza, who owned the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center in Davidsonville, were found in a burned vehicle in a parking lot on May 24. Around 9:25 p.m., officers responded to a fully engulfed vehicle fire in the parking lot of a business in the 600 block of West Central Avenue in Davidsonville. The vehicle was extinguished before the remains were found, according to police. Poole, along with 18-year-old Kyle Dakes, was taken into custody at a Harwood home on May 31. Officers said a crime scene inside the garden center was discovered, which indicated signs of a struggle. Police allege Poole and Dakes assaulted Koza, put him in his truck, and drove the truck to a gas station to buy gas as a fire accelerant. They then allegedly returned the truck to the store and lit it on fire before fleeing the scene, police said. Koza was found with his arms, hands, and mouth taped. Poole worked for Koza at the Tropic Bay Aquatic Garden Center briefly in 2024, police confirmed. Poole charged in burglary of restaurant Days before the murder, on May 18, police said Poole allegedly broke into Pirates Cove restaurant in Galesville, caused about $6,000 in damage, and stole more than $11,000 from the safe. Police said Dakes' was working at the restaurant until May 13. Koza's home was also burglarized just a day before the restaurant break in, according to police. Police said Poole and Dakes both attended Southern High School. Both Poole and Dakes are facing first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, conspiracy to commit first and second-degree murder, and arson.
CBS News
29 minutes ago
- CBS News
Detroit high school student detained by ICE deported to Colombia, attorney says
Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, a Detroit high school student who was detained while en route to a school field trip site, has been deported to Colombia. Christine Sauvé, manager of policy and communication at Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, confirmed Friday that Bogoya-Duarte was deported and had arrived safely in Colombia. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center has been involved in the case and represents the teen. CBS Detroit has reached out to ICE for a comment on the situation. Bogoya-Duarte was just 3.5 credits away from graduating from Western International High School through Detroit Public Schools Community District, and some of those involved in the case hoped he would be allowed to graduate before being deported. The circumstances in this case started on May 20. On that date, Bogoya-Duarte and three other classmates were on their way to Lake Erie Metropark to meet up with others on a school field trip. While en route, Rockwood police pulled them over. Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney with Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, has said police had difficulty communicating with the student in English and called U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Federal officials realized he was in the country illegally. In a statement issued in early June, a CBP spokesperson said, "Local police pulled over the vehicle and found the driver had no license—only a City of Detroit ID. Border Patrol confirmed he was in the country illegally, having ignored a judge's removal order and lost his appeal." While he and his mother had entered the United States in 2022, Robinson said they had not been successful in seeking protection. Bogoya-Duarte called his teachers, reporting that he was being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "After the student was apprehended District police engaged the authorities that had the student in custody to ensure his safety and to advocate on his behalf but ultimately the authorities were following procedure and the law," the school district said. The teen was first taken to Chippewa County Correctional Facility in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
