Latest news with #ArthurAhLoo
The Guardian
21-06-2025
- The Guardian
Suspect in ‘No Kings' rally shooting death in Utah released from jail
A man jailed on suspicion of murder for allegedly brandishing a rifle at a 'No Kings' rally in Utah before an armed safety volunteer fired and inadvertently killed a protester has been released from custody. Local district attorney Sim Gill's office said on Friday that it was unable to make a decision on charges against Arturo Gamboa after the 14 June shooting that killed demonstrator Arthur Folasa Ah Loo – but that the investigation into the slaying continues. Salt Lake City police had said Gamboa brought an assault-style rifle to the rally and was allegedly moving toward the crowd with the weapon raised when a safety volunteer for the event fired three shots, wounding Gamboa and killing Ah Loo nearby. Gamboa did not fire his rifle, and it is unclear what he intended to do with it. His father, Albert Gamboa, told the Associated Press since the shooting that his son was 'an innocent guy' who was 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'. Utah is an open-carry state, meaning people who can legally own a firearm are generally allowed to carry it on a public street. The volunteer has not been publicly identified as investigators work to determine who was at fault. Judge James Blanch said in the release order that Gamboa must live with his father and is forbidden from possessing firearms. The conditions terminate after two months or if criminal charges against him are pursued, Blanch wrote. Gamboa's attorney, Greg Skordas, did not immediately respond to a telephone message left for him seeking comment. Police said the day after the shooting that witnesses reported seeing Gamboa lift the rifle when he was ordered to drop it – and that instead he began running toward the crowd. He fled but was arrested nearby, accused of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo's death. Salt Lake City police said in a statement the next day that Gamboa 'knowingly engaged in conduct … that ultimately caused the death of an innocent community member'. But three days after Gamboa was booked into jail, with no formal charges filed, police acknowledged that the circumstances surrounding the shooting remained uncertain. They issued a public appeal for any video footage related to the shooting or Gamboa and said detectives were still trying 'to piece together exactly what happened'. The volunteer who confronted Gamboa was described by event organizers as a military veteran whose role as a safety volunteer was to maintain order. Experts say it's extremely rare for such individuals, often called safety marshals, to be armed. They typically rely on calm demeanor, communication, and relationships with police and protesters to help keep order, said Edward Maguire, an Arizona State University criminology and criminal justice professor. Police said the permit for the protest did not specify that there would be armed security. Protest organizers have not said whether or how the safety volunteer who shot Ah Loo was trained or explained why he was armed. All attendees, including those in safety roles, were asked not to bring weapons, according to Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for the 50501 Movement. Parker's organization on Thursday said it was dissociating itself from a local chapter of the group that helped organize the Utah protest. The demonstration involving about 18,000 people was otherwise peaceful. It was one of hundreds nationwide against Donald Trump's military parade in Washington, which marked the US army's 250th anniversary and coincided with the president's birthday.
The Sun
17-06-2025
- The Sun
Project Runway star Afa Ah Loo smiled and shared gratitude in last video days before being shot dead at No Kings protest
THE tragic last post of a fashion designer who was shot and killed at a protest last weekend has been revealed. Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who went by Afa, spoke about gratitude and community in an interview just days before he was fatally shot at a No Kings protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday night. 8 8 Ah Loo, 39, was an innocent bystander hit by a stray bullet allegedly fired by a "peacekeeping" volunteer at the protest, police said. He later died in the hospital. He had no connection to the gunman and was "not the intended target of the gunfire," according to the Salt Lake City Police Department. Ah Loo, a father of two, was best known as a Samoan fashion designer who competed on Season 17 of Project Runway in 2019. He finished in 13th place in the competition. After the show, he continued his fashion career and worked with nonprofit organization Creative Pacific. Days before the shooting, Ah Loo was seen smiling and speaking about how his Pacific Islander heritage relates to his work in a video interview shared on Facebook. "Our people are very creative people," he said in the video interview by PacifikaByDesign shared on June 12. "Now that we're here... Why don't we pull our people up with us and work together to make a name for ourselves and our people? "It is difficult to work in spaces that you don't normally see our people in. But it is with grit and perseverance that we can get to where we are. "We're slowly making our way there. We're still learning. We're grateful for people that have sacrificed their time and talents to help us." Victim of SLC shooting at 'No Kings' protest dies after being hit in crossfire as security targeted 'man with AR-15' Days after the interview, Ah Loo died in the hospital from his gunshot wounds after attending the No Kings march downtown. Thousands of No Kings demonstrations broke out across America over the weekend to protest the Trump administration on the president's birthday. The majority of No Kings rallies were peaceful and Ah Loo is believed to be the only fatality from the protests. Terrifying footage showed protesters running from the gunfire as over 10,000 people gathered to protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday. US Embassy New Zealand's statement The US Embassy New Zealand released the following statement about Afa Ah Loo's death: We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Arthur 'Afa' Folasa Ah Loo. A celebrated Samoan fashion designer and creative force in the Pacific community, Afa's talent and vibrant cultural vision inspired many across the region and beyond. A few years ago, the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand was honored to support Afa in showcasing his work and leading U.S. fashion and business workshops at the Pacific Fusion Fashion Show in Auckland. Afa leaves behind a rich legacy in the artists he mentored and communities he uplifted. Our thoughts are with his ʻāiga, friends, and all who mourn his passing. Source: US Embassy NZ The unidentified man who shot Ah Loo told police he was a peacekeeper, meaning he was volunteering to help de-escalate conflict during the protest against President Donald Trump. The gunman told cops he watched Arturo Roberto Gamboa, 24, acting suspiciously in the protest crowd before pulling a rifle out of his backpack, SLCPD Chief Brian Redd said on Sunday. Gamboa charged toward protesters with his gun, which led the shooter to fire three shots at him, Redd said. 8 8 The gunfire struck Ah Loo, who was in a nearby crowd, and Gamboa. Gamboa was hospitalized for a minor bullet wound before he was arrested on suspicion of murder. A tribute by the US Embassy of New Zealand remembered Ah Loo as "a celebrated Samoan fashion designer and creative force in the Pacific community. "Afa's talent and vibrant cultural vision inspired many across the region and beyond," the embassy's statement on X said. Ah Loo is survived by his wife and two young children. A GoFundMe for Ah Loo's family has raised over $190,000 as of Monday afternoon. 8 8
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Protester killed at Utah ‘No Kings' rally was a fashion designer from ‘Project Runway'
SALT LAKE CITY — The man shot and killed while participating in the '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, 39, was killed Saturday night when two men shot at a person brandishing a rifle at demonstrators, and one accidentally struck Ah Loo in the stomach, authorities said. Ah Loo later died at the hospital. Salt Lake City police said it remained unclear Monday whether the individuals, one of whom identified himself as part of a 'peacekeeping' team for the protest, were brought in by the event organizers or acted on their own initiative. Arturo Gamboa, 24, never shot the rifle he pointed at protesters, but police arrested him on murder charges and said he created the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo's death. Police said they were investigating whether the man who shot at Gamboa — and fatally hit Ah Loo — was justified in firing his gun. He has not been identified publicly. Victim was a self-taught designer Ah Loo leaves behind a wife and two young children, according to a GoFundMe page for his family that raised over $100,000 in 48 hours. The self-taught fashion designer known to many as Afa devoted his life to doing 'good things for his neighbors and community,' state Rep. Verona Mauga, a close friend, told The Associated Press. Their families were from the small village of Lotopa in Samoa, she said. Ah Loo was born in Samoa and has lived in Utah for about a decade, his friend Benjamin Powell said. Mauga, who was born in Hawaii, was at the 'No Kings' protest a few blocks from where Ah Loo was shot. The Democratic lawmaker said she only realized something was wrong when she saw the crowd scattering. Peaceful protest turns deadly The protest Saturday was one of hundreds in cities nationwide to counter President Donald Trump's military parade in Washington, which marked the Army's 250th anniversary and coincided with Trump's birthday. There is no record in the Salt Lake City event permit indicating that armed security would be present, police said. Carl Moore, a 49-year-old Indigenous advocate, was filming the protest when three gunshots rang out through the crowd estimated at 10,000 people. Moore said he observed confusion among police as protesters hid behind barriers and took shelter inside parking garages and nearby businesses. 'They don't know what they're looking for. They're just yelling like, 'What does he look like?'' Moore recalled. Weaving culture and community through fashion Mauga said Ah Loo would have been proud that his last moments were spent advocating 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,' she said. 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, allowing a new generation to connect with their heritage. The two artists were friends with a rare creative synergy, Powell said. Ah Loo's vibrant work weaves traditional Pacific Island attire with modern silhouettes and design. He used flowers indigenous to Samoa as motifs and frequently incorporated Tapa, a cloth traditionally made from tree bark in the Pacific Islands, into the garments he created. Powell admired Ah Loo's attention to detail that made his work distinctive. 'You would know right away that it was an Ah Loo design,' he said. Ah Loo was a contestant in 2019 on Bravo's 'Project Runway,' a reality show where fashion designers compete in front of celebrity judges to create runway looks on tight deadlines. Recently, he designed a garment for the star of the animated Disney movie 'Moana 2,' Hawaiian actor Auliʻi Cravalho. According to an interview with Vogue, Cravalho wore the outfit inspired by the Hawaiian ʻahu ʻula — a feather cloak worn by ancient Hawaiian royalty — to the film's red carpet premiere in Hawaii last November. A posthumous honor In an Instagram post Monday, Cravalho said there were 'no words to hold the grief of losing' Ah Loo. 'My deepest condolences, sympathies and Aloha to his family, and all who felt his impact,' Cravalho wrote. Powell and Ah Loo were working on an upcoming August fashion show when he died. Powell said the show will continue and will honor Ah Loo's unwavering commitment to his community. Ah Loo also volunteered 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, he would playfully criticize the outfits the state lawmaker wore on the campaign trail and invite her to his studio so he could make her new blazers or dresses. 'He was just very involved in whatever was going on in the community,' Mauga said. 'He cared about making a difference.' Article by Safiyah Riddle And Hannah Schoenbaum. Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Associated Press writers Jesse Bedayn in Denver and Beatrice Dupuy in New York City contributed reporting.
Fox News
16-06-2025
- Fox News
Innocent bystander mistakenly shot dead at Utah 'No Kings' protest was 'Project Runway' designer
An innocent bystander who was a fashion designer that appeared on "Project Runway" died over the weekend after he was shot during a "No Kings" protest in Utah, police said Sunday. The victim was identified as Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a Samoan designer who appeared on the hit Bravo show and a married father of two. He was shot during the Saturday protest, which attracted around 10,000 people, and died later that night, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said. "Our victim was not the intended target," said Redd, who added that Ah Loo, 39, was just participating in the march. Redd said Ah Loo was mistakenly shot by one of two event peacekeepers in neon vests who opened fire after a suspect, identified as Arturo Gamboa, 24, ran toward the crowd with a rifle. They saw Gamboa pull out a rifle before raising it in a firing position before moving toward a crowd of protesters, Redd said. One of the men in the vests fired three times, striking Gamboa and the victim, who later died. MEMORIAL DAY MASS SHOOTING IN PHILADELPHIA LEAVES 2 DEAD, 9 INJUREDGamboa was wounded and was allegedly found with a rifle and a gas mask in his backpack. Paramedics took Gamboa to the hospital. Detectives later booked Gamboa into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on a charge of murder. Two SWAT medics performed life-saving care on the victim before he was taken to a hospital, where he later died, police said. The shooter was cooperating with investigators, police said. Gamboa, who did not fire a shot, doesn't have any criminal history, the chief said. Ah Loo appeared in Season 17 of "Project Runway" in 2019 and returned for "Project Runway Redemption." He also created couture for cast members of "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" and was invited by the late Queen Elizabeth II to present his collection at Buckingham Palace during London Fashion Week, the New York Post reported. Utah state Rep. Verona Mauga told KSL-TV that she was with Ah Loo hours before he was killed. "Afa is a person who believed in equity and equality for all people and all communities. He believed that everyone was deserving of basic human rights," Mauga said. "And that's why he was there. He was with his community and he was with people he cared about, marching and rallying for all of those things that make our community, like, really great." An online fundraiser to pay for Ah Loo's funeral has raised more than $200,000.
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Project Runway star is killed at anti-Trump 'No Kings' rally
A Project Runway star was killed when a man brandished a rifle during an anti-Trump rally in Utah on Saturday. Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, was struck by official peacekeepers at Saturday's No Kings rally in Salt Lake City. They'd spotted another protester - Arturo Gamboa, 24 - wield a weapon and point it at a crowd. The peacekeepers ordered Gamboa to drop his weapon but he failed to do so. When Gamboa ran towards a crowd with the rifle in a firing position, the peacekeeping team opened fire on him. Ah Loo was caught in the crossfire and shot. The fashion designer, who leaves behind a wife and two young children, later died at a local hospital , authorities said Sunday. Police took the alleged shooter into custody on Saturday evening on a murder charge. Detectives don't yet know why he pulled out a rifle. Ah Loo, from Samoa, recently became an American citizen and voted for the first time during the 2024 election. He attended the No Kings march because he 'believed that everyone was deserving of basic human rights', Utah Rep. Verona Mauga told KSL-TV . Ah Loo, known as 'Afa', was a husband and father to two children and a fashion designer who leaned into his Samoan heritage, according to a GoFundMe page organized to support his family. Ah Loo founded Creative Pacific, an event celebrating the diversity of the Pacific Islands, with workshops, artists and a fashion runway. He was on Season 17 of the fashion design reality TV show Project Runway. The peacekeeper, who was dressed in a neon green vest, fired three shots from a handgun at Gamboa, inflicting a relatively minor injury but fatally shooting Ah Loo. Authorities did not share the man's name. Ah Loo, an innocent bystander participating in Saturday's march, was with a group of friends when the shots were fired into the crowd, Mauga told the TV station. The gunshots sent hundreds of protesters running, some hiding behind barriers and fleeing into parking garages and nearby businesses, police said in a statement. 'That's a gun. Come on, come on, get out,' someone can be heard saying in a video posted to social media that appears to show the events. The designer's friends realized 'something wrong may have happened' when they did not hear back from him after the chaos broke out, Mauga added. 'Afa is a person who believed in equity and equality for all people and all communities,' she said. 'That's why he was there. He was with his community and he was with people he cared about, marching and rallying for all of those things that make our community, like, really great.' Police said the shooter and another person in a neon vest allegedly saw Gamboa separate from the crowd of marchers in downtown Salt Lake City, move behind a wall and withdraw a rifle around 8 p.m. Saturday. When the two men in vests confronted Gamboa with their handguns drawn, witnesses said Gamboa raised his rifle into a firing position and ran toward the crowd, said Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd. That's when one of the men dressed in the vests shot three rounds, hitting Gamboa and Ah Loo. SWAT medics immediately performed life-saving care to the bystander before firefighters and paramedics stepped in. The coroner will determine Ah Loo's official cause and manner of death. Gamboa, who police said didn't have a criminal history, was wounded and treated before being booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail. He was seen in dramatic pictures and videos being arrested and taken away on a stretcher by police and paramedics. Officers also located a backpack belonging to Gamboa that contained an 'AR-15 style rifle' and gas mask, according to Redd. Redd added that the peacekeepers' actions are also part of the investigation. Volunteer peacekeeping teams are common for protests, said Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for 50501 Movement, which was a partner in the No Kings protest. But the organizers ask attendees, including the peacekeepers, not to bring weapons, she said. Still, Parker said they stopped what could've been a larger mass casualty event. 'Our safety team did as best as they could in a situation that is extremely sad and extremely scary,' said Parker. The Associated Press did not immediately find an attorney listed for Gamboa or contact information for his family in public records. No Kings protests swept across the country on Saturday, and organizers said millions rallied against what they described as President Donald Trump's authoritarian tendencies. Confrontations were largely isolated. In Riverside, California, authorities said a driver of an SUV struck a woman who was participating in a demonstration and sped away. The woman had 'significant injuries' but was stable, police said, adding that they were still searching for the driver. Outside the Arizona statehouse, a social media video showed protesters Saturday jeering at and then skirmishing with a masked man, who eventually pulled out a handgun, causing the crowd to scatter. Another video showed Arizona Department of Public Safety officers taking the man into custody.
