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Samoan Fashion Designer Fatally Shot at Salt Lake City Protest, Suspect Charged with Murder

Authorities have charged 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa with murder after peacekeepers fired on a man wielding an AR-15-style rifle, inadvertently striking the designer

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Overview

  • Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, was a Samoan-American designer, Project Runway alum and community mentor who attended the “No Kings” protest as an innocent bystander
  • The June 14 Salt Lake City march was part of a nationwide anti-Trump movement staged on President Trump’s birthday following a week of demonstrations in Los Angeles
  • Police say peacekeepers fired three shots at Arturo Gamboa after he brandished an AR-15-style rifle, with one round unintentionally hitting Ah Loo
  • Gamboa, who did not fire his weapon, faces a murder charge under Utah law for creating a grave risk of death despite not pulling the trigger
  • Ah Loo’s death has left Salt Lake City’s Samoan community in mourning and spurred a continued police investigation and calls for accountability