Utah lawmakers briefed on ‘No Kings' shooting in SLC, their security after Minnesota shootings
Top law enforcement officials briefed Utah lawmakers during closed-door caucus meetings on Wednesday about the shooting during the 'No Kings' protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday which saw a bystander marching in the protest shot and killed by a security volunteer.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson and Salt Lake City Police Brian Redd met separately with both Republican and Democratic caucuses at the Utah Capitol. House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, told reporters during a media availability that Anderson and Redd didn't share many details.
'Honestly, we don't really know any of the details,' Schultz said. '(Anderson and Redd) can't share any details, because it's an ongoing investigation.'
Schultz, however, said he's confident the investigation will be 'treated fairly' and provide answers to questions that 'a lot of us have.' The speaker also said he's 'really proud of the way Salt Lake City and the state of Utah came together to make sure there wasn't violence' during the rest of the protest.
'I'm proud of the organizers of the protest, that was important to them, that they didn't have violence,' the House speaker said. 'And I really felt like overall things were pretty good. There is that one incident that's sad, and we certainly condone any type of violence.'
Man dies after being shot in chaotic scene at Salt Lake City's 'No Kings' protest
Schultz added that lawmakers will be reflecting on the facts of the investigation when it's finished.
'We look forward to getting more information as it becomes available, and we'll sift through what went wrong or what are the issues,' Schultz said.
According to Salt Lake City police, the shooting happened after two men described as 'peacekeepers' confronted another man, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, who was carrying an AR-15 style rifle during the protest. One of the 'peacekeepers' fired three shots from a handgun, grazing Gamboa but also hitting an 'innocent bystander,' Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Shortly after the shooting, police arrested Gamboa, and he was booked into jail for investigation of murder. Police say, however, that Gamboa did not fire his rifle. The two 'peacekeepers,' who wore high-visability vests, were initially detained by police, but were released after being questioned. Police said the man who fired the three shots is cooperating with investigators.
The protest was organized by Utah 50501, a state chapter of the 50501 Movement, a grassroots group that organizes rallies to protest actions by President Donald Trump and his administration. Organizers have expressed 'profound heartbreak' for the death of Ah Loo.
In the days following the chaotic shooting, unanswered questions remain, including details of who the 'peacekeepers' were and how they were vetted, if at all, to be acting as armed security.
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Event organizers said people who served as 'safety volunteers' were 'selected because of their military, first responder, and other relevant de-escalation experience,' and they said when those volunteers saw Gamboa with the AR-15 style rifle, they 'believed that there was an imminent threat to the protesters and took action.' Organizers said the man who was involved in the shooting is a 'military veteran.'
Questions also remain regarding Gamboa's intentions and why he brought a rifle to the protest. As of Wednesday, charges had not been filed against Gamboa or anyone else involved in the shooting.
Utah is a 'constitutional carry' state, which means its laws allow the open and concealed carrying of firearms without a permit for those who are legally allowed to possess them. In 2021, with HB60, the Republican-controlled Utah Legislature eliminated the state's concealed carry permit requirements. Now, anyone 21 and over who can legally possess a gun is free to carry it loaded and hidden in public.
Unlike 26 other states, Utah — a Republican-controlled state — has not adopted a law prohibiting carrying long guns at state capitols or, according to Everytown Research & Policy, an organization that produces research on gun violence and advocates for gun violence prevention. The group has ranked Utah as No. 36 in the country for 'gun law strength.'
When pressed on whether lawmakers would be open to considering some type of policy to restrict the open carrying of long guns during protests, Schultz declined to say what lawmakers will or won't be willing to do, but 'I can speak from my own perspective.'
'Utah is a very proud Second Amendment state,' he said. 'Finding that balance is what we want to try to do, and I think we've done a good job with it in the past.'
Schultz, however, left the door open to a discussion.
'As we enter into the legislative session and we have more details around what happened, I'm sure some of those conversations will happen and we'll see where it goes from there,' Schultz said.
'Peacekeeper' involved in shooting at SLC 'No Kings' protest is a military veteran, organizers say
While Democrats typically propose various bills during each legislative session seeking tighter firearm regulations, Utah's GOP-supermajority Legislature usually doesn't let those bills progress.
Schultz said 'any violence of any sort is terrible,' also pointing to the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses over the weekend.
'It's sad right now,' he said. 'I think it speaks a little bit to the times that we're living in.'
Schultz said Anderson also briefed lawmakers on their own security, including resources available to lawmakers if they experience threats or have heightened concern. He praised the Utah Department of Public Safety for always being responsive to make sure lawmakers have protection when needed.
House Majority Whip Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, said she saw the news from Minnesota, 'I just kept thinking how we have got to find a way to turn down the heat when it comes to politics.'
'We have to get to a place where we disagree without thinking the other person is evil,' she said, adding that it was 'terrifying' that the man accused of shooting the Minnesota lawmakers had a list of names of other lawmakers.
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In the days after the Minnesota shooting, however, Utah Sen. Mike Lee drew widespread backlash for a pair of social media posts that appeared to make a joke about the suspect accused of the Minnesota shootings, claiming it was the result of 'Marxism' and attempting to connect the suspect to Gov. Tim Walz.
On Tuesday, Lee deleted the posts from X. His office has not returned a request for comment about them, and he hasn't issued a public apology.
Asked about Lee's posts, Schultz brushed them off, saying he doesn't spend time on X, (formerly known as Twitter).
'If I get on Twitter and look at what people say about me, it puts me in a bad mood, so I don't even get on Twitter,' he said. 'I don't think we have any comments around that. We're focused on Utah.'
Pressed on whether they condemn the tweets, House Majority Leader Casey Snider, R-Paradise, said: 'you'd have to ask the senator about his tweets; he's the one that made them.'
'I'm in the same boat. I don't spend much time on social media. … you'd have to ask the senator what he said and what he meant by it,' Snider said.
Sen. Mike Lee takes down controversial X posts after widespread criticism
On Monday, House Democratic leaders issued a statement in the wake of the Minnesota shootings and the shooting during the Salt Lake City protest, calling them 'heartbreaking but unfortunately not surprising' while also calling for more gun regulations.
'The conditions for this kind of violence have been building for years, driven by a toxic combination of hateful rhetoric and easy access to firearms,' House Democrats said. 'That rhetoric, often amplified by leaders at the local, state, and federal levels, has created an environment that often leads to violence.'
House Democrats said their Republican colleagues often argue 'guns don't kill people — people kill people.'
'Yet many of those same leaders use their platforms to target marginalized communities, spread misinformation, and stoke division,' they said. 'We urge all elected officials to reflect on the impact of their words and how they contribute to the dangerous climate we face today.'
House Democrats said they 'remain committed to advancing policies that reduce gun violence, promote accountability, and protect the safety and dignity of every Utahn. We call on others to join us in that commitment.'
Later Wednesday afternoon, the full Senate — while convened to vote on several judicial and cabinet appointments from Gov. Spencer Cox — held a moment of silence for the victims of violence in and outside of Utah over the weekend.
Senators bowed their heads for Ah Loo, as well as for the two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses who were shot, and the three killed during an unrelated act of violence seen in Utah over the weekend — a shooting at a carnival in West Valley City on Sunday.
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