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By Holly Yan, Rafael Romo, CNN
(CNN) — An innocent bystander at a “No Kings” protest in Utah was shot and killed by a “peacekeeper” who was aiming for a different man pointing an AR-15-style rifle toward the crowd, according to the Salt Lake City police.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, was fatally wounded Saturday evening, police said. He was a husband, a father and a renowned fashion designer, according to a GoFundMe page established to help his widow Laura and their two children.
Ah Loo, who went by the name Afa, was also a co-founder of the nonprofit Creative Pacific and appeared on the fashion design reality TV show “Project Runway.”
He was among 10,000 protesters who packed downtown Salt Lake City for a “No Kings” protest – one of 2,000 events nationwide denouncing the Trump administration.
While authorities have not released details about the “peacekeeper” who shot Ah Loo, the man who was spotted carrying the rifle was arrested on suspicion of murder.
“The preliminary investigation shows Ah Loo was participating in the demonstration and appears to have been an innocent bystander who was not the intended target of the gunfire,” Salt Lake City police said.
In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday, the group that organized the protest, Utah 50501, said one of its “safety volunteers,” who is a military veteran, “took action” because they believed there was an “imminent threat.”
“Our team of safety volunteers, who have been selected because of their military, first responder, and other relevant de-escalation experience, believed that there was an imminent threat to the protestors and took action,” the group said. “The safety volunteer who responded to the individual and who was questioned by police is a military veteran.”
“We are mourning Afa Ah Loo with everything we have, and we are holding his family and friends in our hearts,” Utah 50501 added. “Afa’s name, courage, and commitment to his people will never be forgotten.”
The group did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Shooting spurred ‘panic,’ police say
Gunfire erupted around 7:56 p.m. at the protest Saturday night and spurred “panic,” police said, sending people fleeing for safety in parking garages, behind barriers and into businesses.
Officers then found Ah Loo, who was gravely wounded and later died from his injuries.
Moments later, police were flagged down and “found a man crouching among a group of people with a gunshot wound,” police said.
The man, later identified as 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, was dressed in all black with a black mask. Officers found a nearby AR-15-style rifle, a gas mask, black clothing and a backpack, police said.
Witnesses reported Gamboa had been wielding the rifle in a firing position and running toward the protesters, police said.
He drew the attention of two men wearing neon green vests and carrying handguns who police say identified themselves as “peacekeepers” with the event. One of the “peacekeepers” fired three rounds, hitting both Gamboa and Ah Loo, Salt Lake City police said.
Video from the scene shows bystanders flagging down police and officers taking Gamboa into custody.
“That’s a rifle right here,” one man is heard saying in the video as he takes a few steps before setting down a black backpack. “I just grabbed it from this guy right here.”
As bystanders point toward a man wearing a black shirt, black jeans, and black boots, officers wearing helmets, face shields, and armed with weapons are then seen in the video rushing toward him, yelling commands to get on the ground.
Gamboa was taken to a hospital and later booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on a murder charge, police said Sunday. It is not immediately clear if Gamboa has an attorney.
“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.
Questions about ‘peacekeepers’
On Monday morning, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office told CNN no charges had been finalized in the case. The DA’s office said the case was still in the hands of the police department.
“As this continues to be an active investigation, any comment at this time would be inappropriate,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement.
CNN asked Salt Lake City police Monday for more details about Gamboa’s potential murder charge and whether the person who shot Ah Loo might also face charges.
The two “peacekeepers,” who have not been identified, were detained and interviewed, police said.
Salt Lake City police said Monday the “peacekeepers” were not “overseen, sanctioned, or trained” by the department and neither of the men are current or former law enforcement officers.
“Detectives are still actively investigating this case, to include the actions of the peacekeepers,” Salt Lake City police wrote. “Detectives have not been able to determine, at this time, why Gamboa pulled out his rifle and began to manipulate it or why he ran from the peacekeepers when they confronted him.”
“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,” police said in a Monday statement. The police department also said it was unclear whether they were hired or volunteered for the event, “or acted on their own initiative,” and a permit for the protest did not details plans to have organized or armed security.
“The Salt Lake City Police Department does not direct or manage security roles and responsibilities unless that requirement is outlined in the event’s approved permit, of which it was not,” police added.
Volunteer peacekeeping teams are common for protests, a national grassroots organization told The Associated Press.
Typically, organizers ask attendees – including the peacekeepers – to not bring any weapons, said Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for 50501 Movement, a partner in the “No Kings” protest.
But the Salt Lake City peacekeepers likely stopped what could have been a much larger tragedy, Parker told the AP.
“Our safety team did as best as they could in a situation that is extremely sad and extremely scary,” she said.
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CNN’s Eric Levenson, Zenebou Sylla and Caroll Alvarado contributed to this report.
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