Salt Lake City police say a demonstrator who was shot at the city's “No Kings” protest has died and that the bullet that killed him appears to have been fired by one of the demonstration's peacekeepers.

A man who was 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, striking 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 was Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, a fashion designer from Samoa.

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.

  • Monument@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    121·
    1 day ago

    What video?
    The traffic cam video? The detail on that is horrific. I would not attempt to create any theories from that.

    If there’s other video to support your statements, can you link it?

    I’d say that his actions were not legal or sanctioned. He had the rifle concealed in a carrying case, which he waited until he was middle of a crowd, whereupon he removed it, and regardless of whether or not his handling of the weapon met the legal definition of brandishing it, he still handled it in a manner that incited panic.
    If he wanted to open carry, he should have had the firearm openly carried the entire time he was at the protest (including his outside approach to it) and he should have never put his hands on the weapon.

      • Monument@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        9·
        1 day ago

        Ah, I see. That is much clearer.

        The testimony given is that Gamboa had pulled out his weapon while hidden behind a barrier, and was in a firing position while running into the crowd is supported the video. At the very beginning of the video, it shows him walking, then running, while holding the weapon in his right hand.
        I guess if he ducked away to surreptitiously pull the weapon out, he should have… I don’t know, slung it, rather than held it, and responded to the folks who drew on him, rather than try to run into the crowd.
        I wouldn’t have stepped out of cover with my hands on it if that were the case. But also, if I were open carrying, I wouldn’t be wearing a ski mask.
        Nothing about his actions read proper to me.

        • Dempf@lemmy.zip
          6·
          1 day ago

          I agree that Gamboa’s actions were at the very least inadvisable.

          Pointing out: he starts running after the peacekeeper fires upon him, not before.

          I don’t think we know what happened before that video started. Peacekeepers said they shouted at him to drop the weapon. Was he aware of their presence before they shot? What exactly was said?

          The eyewitness accounts I’ve seen so far in the news seem perhaps one-sided and I’ve been speculating that the police could have put some trust into the statements of the peacekeepers that they interviewed.

          Regarding his ski mask, SLC is a ski town. Many people own balaclavas, and I saw many people at the protest wearing them. I saw pictures of people at the Thursday protest wearing them as well. The organizers pointed out to be careful about taking pictures as some people might not want their identities revealed. Personally, I wore a mask.

          A guy in a mask with a gun looks scary, and I don’t think what happened is surprising. However, many of the right wing militias open carry while wearing masks. They do so because it is legal and is in fact their right. What I’m ultimately saying is, given the evidence available, if I were on some (fantasy) jury, I would so far be thinking “reasonable doubt”.

          • fishy@lemmy.todayEnglish
            62·
            1 day ago

            Unfortunately this is exactly the kind of situation these nuts want to happen. “He was just exercising his rights.” He was there to intimidate, harass, and be a nuisance. Probably had wet dreams about some lib with a bat approaching him so he could claim self defense and be a “hero” like that other little bitch a few years back.

            If a Democrat showed up to a Trump rally with a gun and a mask the cops would dump mags into them without hesitation.

            • Dempf@lemmy.zip
              3·
              24 hours ago

              Sure, but he was a leftist in a punk band with lyrics that were very aligned with the values of the protest. Personally, I’m not seeing the right wing mass shooter angle.

              Edit: also not really seeing that his intention would be to get a rise out of the libs either… Though if he’s a leftist it could be that he despises libs just as much as he despises conservatives. I’ve just never seen a leftist act with the same intention as right wing militia guys before. But who knows.

              https://www.slugmag.com/soundwaves/episode-364-rade/

              • fishy@lemmy.todayEnglish
                11·
                22 hours ago

                Honestly I just assumed he was a right wing nut because this aligns so closely with their typical mo.

                • Zaktor@sopuli.xyzEnglish
                  2·
                  13 hours ago

                  “This” being the described story from the shooter’s perspective. He made assumptions and that’s what was reported in the story. I’m not sure how much of the narrative we should assume is correct. Not that they’re lying, just that people make mistakes and memory becomes iffy in stressful situations. The video doesn’t match the peacekeeper’s order of events.

            • lemonaz@lemmy.world
              11·
              24 hours ago

              These fucks always try to score legal kills, same as Kyle Rittenhouse and George Zimmerman. It’s not new, but innocent people always end up paying the price.