KCSO seeks help finding missing teen
The Kern County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help finding a missing teen who was last seen near Lincoln Avenue in Oildale, KCSO said Sunday night.
Jazmin Taliulu, 13, is described as Pacific Islander, 5 feet, 5 inches, 120 pounds with black hair and gray eyes. She was last seen wearing a black tank top, pink jeans and black Crocs. She was thought to be with her boyfriend, identified only as Lupe.
KCSO asks that anyone with information call 661-861-3110.
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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Beloved Utah fashion designer's friends remember his life and his last moments
Arthur "Afa" Ah Loo, pictured with Rep. Verona Mauga. Ah Loo died at Salt Lake City "No Kings" protest. (Courtesy) Those familiar with Arthur 'Afa' Ah Loo's fashion work can quickly identify cohesive characteristics in his pieces — they are freeflowing, comfortable and fitting for every size. Ah Loo himself shared a lot of his gowns' nature, his friends say, as a soft spoken, yet strong presence in his family and the Utah Pacific Islander community. His friends and family haven't recovered from the shock of hearing that self-described peacekeepers at the Salt Lake City 'No Kings' rally shot three rounds at an armed man at the protest, unintentionally killing Ah Loo. Some still use present tense when speaking about him, and many of them wish they could wipe away the widespread images of his fatal wounds to substitute them with memories of his life. Richard Wolfgramm, Ah Loo's close friend, got to witness many of the moments that built his reputation. He saw Ah Loo's many late nights in his studio working on a gown, videocalling his two children while his wife Laura put them in bed. There was also constant talk about art and how seriously Ah Loo took his civic duties as a new American citizen. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'We read about gun violence in this country all the time. It's just really shocking that it happened to someone that you know and someone that you love, that it happened so fast,' Wolfgramm said. Wolfgramm also saw Ah Loo saying goodbye to his wife and kids at his studio before taking a Lyft to the protest together on Saturday, their final moments together. As they marched, he heard his friend speak about how this was the third protest he had attended in a week. Then, Wolfgramm heard gunshots and screams just steps away on State Street that sent him running. They were separated, Wolfgramm didn't see what happened, but realized something was wrong after Ah Loo didn't answer multiple calls. It was afterwards, when looking at a video he had been recording when the shots were fired, that he saw images of his friend laying on the ground. 'I was horrified, because that's the last image I saw of him,' he said. 'Was him laying in the street with a bullet hole to his head.' The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. At about 3:30 a.m. in the hospital he and a group of family and friends were told that Ah Loo hadn't survived. 'We all just left in a state of shock,' Wolfgramm said on Monday. 'You know, I'm just really getting over my shock right now.' Ah Loo's name is recognized internationally, whether for being the first Samoan to be featured in 'Project Runway,' or for dressing many in his distinct flowy pieces — including red-carpet looks of 'Moana 2' stars. He was born and raised in Samoa and moved to the U.S. after making a name for himself in the fashion industry. But, many in Utah also know him for being an involved member of the community, finding ways to empower the next generation of Pacific Islander artists. Ah Loo co-founded the nonprofit Creative Pacific with his friend Benjamin Powell, an organization that promotes culture, creativity and innovation, especially among Pacific Islander communities. While Ah Loo had a specific style for his pieces — and a signature hat look for himself — he was also open to designing any type of wardrobe, Powell said. He served on boards and mentored people on their design efforts. 'Afa was a loving soul, very giving of his time, very giving of his service and the work that he did,' Powell said, 'and just an all-around, really, just genuinely, a good soul.' Ah Loo may have had a very public-facing career, but he wasn't one to speak in front of crowds. According to Powell, he was more of a 'quiet mover and shaker.' 'He wasn't a loud person. His work really would speak for itself, which I think, is what set him apart in many ways,' Powell said. 'Because his quiet ways of doing things were still very effective and impactful with people that he came across.' Taylorsville Democratic Rep. Verona Mauga, who is also Samoan, also remembers Ah Loo with fondness after knowing him for over 10 years. She describes him as someone who could create anything from scratch. 'He was able to connect people and reach people in ways that other people just weren't able to do,' she said about Ah Loo. 'It was a gift of his to gather and to connect people.' Before the shooting, the rally protesting President Donald Trump's second-term policies was peaceful and beautiful, Mauga said. 'It was great until it wasn't.' 'It's very sad and unfortunate that Afa passed away violently when he was someone who stood up for others and cared about equity and equality and people being treated fairly,' Mauga said. '(He) also often said things like, it's important to stand on the right side of history. And I know that's why he was marching.' After the assassination of Minnesota lawmakers Saturday and the shooting at West Valley City's WestFest carnival that ended in three deaths, Mauga says there needs to be an important conversation about public safety. 'This is a conversation that needs to happen with community and with government,' she said. 'Too much has happened this weekend, and we need to re-evaluate things and see what we need to do to make Utah safer.' Thinking about all of those details that made Ah Loo the person his community loved, and then the situation in which he died, angers Wolfgramm. 'I am so sick to my stomach (with) the revelation that's just coming out right now,' Wolfgramm said, referring to a peacekeeper shooting his handgun after seeing Arturo Gamboa holding an AR-15 style rifle at the protest. Before the shots rang out, nonviolence and unity defined 'No Kings' protest Wolfgramm is conflicted, however, because he doesn't know what he would have done as a peacekeeper in their situation. Utah is an open carry state, but Gamboa's intentions for having a rifle during the protest are unclear. Still, he wishes the event peacekeepers had left trained law enforcement to deal with the situation. 'When I look at their actions, I see the actions of amateurs, and I see panic,' Wolfgramm said. 'And I don't know what I would have done in that situation, but my brothers in law enforcement, they are people that are trained specifically for things like this.' Like many, Wolfgramm met Ah Loo through his art, and then formed a friendship that lasted over 10 years with their shared Pacific Islander heritage and interests. He found in Ah Loo a warm, kind, talented and generous friend, but also someone who was fun to hang out with. 'People don't know this about him, but Afa has a beautiful singing voice, and we go to karaoke a lot. I think people are often surprised when he's up there singing,' he said. Wolfgramm also remembers Ah Loo as a devoted father and husband, present even when his job obligations kept him out of his house. 'When we went to the rally, I drove and parked my car at the studio, and we took a Lyft over to Pioneer Park. When I got over there, his wife and his two kids were there. They were leaving the studio. We were all saying our goodbyes and hugging outside. And then they left, and we waited for the Lyft,' Wolfgramm said. 'Those were his final moments with his family.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Officer-involved shooting ruled within KCSO policies
An incident review board has determined an officer-involved shooting last month in east Bakersfield was within the policies of the Kern County Sheriff's Office, the agency reported Monday. A KCSO news release said the 42-year-old man involved in the shooting, Sadi Geovani Diaz, was armed with a hammer, a machete and a firearm when deputies encountered him shortly after 6:30 a.m. May 9 in the 600 block of Water Street. It said a female victim had been shot by Diaz and had to be sent to a hospital for treatment. Diaz also was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. Diaz was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, burglary, kidnapping, kidnapping with a firearms assault on a peace officer and carrying a loaded firearm without registration, the release said. The incident board made its determination Friday. Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call KCSO at 661-861-3110 or Kern Secret Witness: 661-322-4040.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Protester killed at Utah 'No Kings' rally was fashion designer from 'Project Runway'
The 39-year-old man shot and killed at a weekend 'No Kings' protest in Salt Lake City was a successful fashion designer and former 'Project Runway' contestant who devoted his life to celebrating artists from the Pacific Islands. Arthur Folasa Ah Loo was killed when a man who was believed to be part of a peacekeeping team for the protest shot at a person brandishing a rifle at demonstrators, accidentally striking Ah Loo. Ah Loo later died at the hospital, authorities said. Detectives don't yet know why the alleged rifleman pulled out a weapon or ran from the peacekeepers, but they charged him with murder and accused him of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo's death, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said at a Sunday news conference. Ah Loo leaves behind his wife and two young children, according to a GoFundMe for his family that raised over $100,000 in 48 hours. The 'self-taught' fashion designer born in Samoa, known to many as Afa, devoted his life to doing 'the good things for his neighbors and community," state Rep. Verona Mauga said. Mauga was at the 'No Kings Protest' a few blocks from where Ah Loo was shot. She said she only had a sense that something was wrong when she saw the crowd running. As tragic as his death is, she said, Ah Loo would have been proud that his last moments were spent fighting for what he believed in. 'If Afa was going to go out any other way than natural causes, it would be standing up for marginalized and vulnerable communities and making sure that people had a voice,' Mauga told The Associated Press on Monday. While he wasn't typically overtly political, Ah Loo had a knack for connecting 'culture and diversity and service,' and bringing people together, Mauga said. Benjamin Powell, a hair salon innovator from Fiji, co-founded Create Pacific with Ah Loo shortly after they met four years ago. The organization uplifts artists from the Pacific Islands. The two artists had a rare creative synergy, Powell said. Ah Loo's vibrant work delicately weaves traditional Pacific Island attire with modern silhouettes and design. He used flowers indigenous to Samoa as motifs, and frequently incorporated the traditional Pacific Islander art called Tapa, a cloth traditionally made from tree bark, into the garments he made. Powell admired the meticulous attention to detail that made Ah Loo's work distinctive. 'You would know right away that it was an Ah Loo design,' Powell said. Ah Loo and Powell were working on an upcoming August fashion show when he died. Powell said 'the show will continue' and honor Ah Loo's unwavering vision for his community. Ah Loo's portfolio has earned numerous accolades over the years. He was a contestant in 2017 on Bravo's 'Project Runway,' a reality television show where fashion designers compete in front of celebrity judges to create runway looks on tight deadlines. Recently, Ah Loo designed a garment for the star of the Disney Channel animated movie Moana 2, Hawaiian actor Auliʻi Cravalho. Cravalho wore the outfit, which combined traditional and modern aesthetics from her culture, to the film's red carpet premiere in Hawaii last November. 'This was the first time I was so active in helping to design a custom look, and Afa surpassed what I had envisioned,' Cravalho told the magazine at the time. But not all of his work was high-profile, Mauga said. Ah Loo would volunteer his time and resources to tailor clothing for people who needed help, often refusing to let people compensate him for his work, Mauga said. Sometimes, Ah Loo would playfully criticize the outfits the newly elected Democratic representative wore on the campaign trail, and invite her to his studio so he could make her a new set of blazers. He would also make her dresses for events, sometimes just on a couple of hours notice. 'Afa was so much a part of the community,' she said.
