‘Peacekeeper’ involved in shooting at SLC ‘No Kings’ protest is a military veteran, organizers say

As questions continue to circle around the “peacekeepers” acting as armed security at the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday, when police say a man inadvertently shot and killed a bystander, protest organizers issued a statement Tuesday saying the “safety volunteer” who was involved is a “military veteran.”

“During the protest an individual was spotted holding an AR-15 style weapon,” organizers with Utah 50501 said in the prepared statement provided to Utah News Dispatch on Tuesday. “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 protesters and took action.” 

Utah 50501 is a state chapter of the 50501 Movement, a grassroots group that organizes rallies to protest actions by President Donald Trump and his administration. 

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. One of the men, reportedly part of the event’s security team, 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. 

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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 safety volunteer who responded to the individual (holding the rifle) and who was questioned by police is a military veteran,” the Utah 50501 statement said. “The person currently in custody was apprehended thanks to a protester who saw the rifle and brought it to police attention.” 

In the statement, Utah 50501 organizers also expressed “profound heartbreak” for the death of Ah Loo. 

“We are mourning Afa Ah Loo with everything we have, and we are holding his family and friends in our hearts,” the statement said. “Afa’s name, courage, and commitment to his people will never be forgotten. We express our dearest and deepest sympathy to all those who knew and loved him.” 

The protests’ organizers also noted the investigation into the shooting is “still currently ongoing. At this time SLCPD has not chosen to charge any of the volunteers.” 

Salt Lake City police are investigating the shooting, but the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office will ultimately decide charges. As of Tuesday, no charges had been filed against Gamboa or anyone else involved in the shooting. 

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The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has declined to say whether prosecutors are considering filing any charges against the “peacekeepers” who were involved in the shooting. 

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“This continues to be an active investigation by the SLCPD that is yet to be screened by our office, which is not uncommon or of concern as we remain so early into the criminal inquiry,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in a prepared statement issued Tuesday. 

“When the gathered evidence is presented to our office and homicide team, we will have a better understanding of facts, evidence and any chargeable decision,” Gill continued. “Until then any conjecture would be purely speculative, inaccurate and inappropriate.”

Gill urged Utahns to “be patient and let law enforcement finish their work.” He also asked anyone “who may have evidence or may be witnesses to contact and share that information with the SLCPD.” He referred to a link to the Salt Lake City Police Department’s website, where evidence can be submitted online. 

Unanswered questions

In the days following the chaotic shooting, unanswered questions remain, including more details of who the “peacekeepers” were and how they were vetted to be acting as armed security. Questions also remain regarding Gamboa’s intentions and why he brought a rifle to the protest. 

As Utahns grieve Ah Loo’s death, some have applauded actions by the “peacekeepers” to prevent what could have been a mass shooting, while others have questioned whether the armed man who shot at Gamboa and inadvertently fatally struck Ah Loo acted appropriately. 

The Utah 50501 statement provided Tuesday offered a bit more information about who the protest’s organizers said served as “safety volunteers,” including that the people selected had “military, first responder, and other relevant de-escalation experience,” and that the man involved was a “military veteran.” 

However, other questions remain unanswered, including the ages of the two “peacekeepers” that were involved in the shooting, how they were vetted, and how many of them present at the protest were armed.

The Utah News Dispatch on Monday sent emails to both national and local organizers asking those questions and others. On Tuesday, Utah organizers pointed to the prepared statement and declined to provide interviews at this time. 

“The organizers genuinely want to engage with the public but we have to balance the public’s need for transparency with the participant’s legal and psychological health,” the organizers said in an email. 

Criticism from an armed activist group

Utah 50501 organizers have drawn some criticism over the shooting, including from other local activist groups. The group Armed Queers SLC, which describes itself as an “LGBTQ organization dedicated to the defense, and success, of oppressed people’s movements,” posted a statement on its Instagram story saying “we are still shocked at how the events unraveled” at the protest. 

“Armed Queers takes gun ownership and its use for defense of our communities very seriously, and reject the way this situation was handled,” the group said. “This event resulted in a direct loss of life that could have been avoided, and other measures should have been in place for proper de-escalation before openly shooting into a vulnerable crowd.” 

Armed Queers, the statement said, “had no involvement in the planning” of Salt Lake City’s “No Kings” protest, adding that though some members attended, “Armed Queers was given very little information about this event or our role in it.” 

“We were asked to work as extra members of 50501’s de-escalation team 2 days before the event,” their statement added. “We agreed to participate because the organizers were concerned about agitators, but we were given very few details and transparency about the de-escalation plan.” 

The group said its members “worked as a ‘secondary de-escalation’ team, and had no real interaction with agitators, or coordination with the event organizers while fulfilling that role.” It noted that no Armed Queers members were wearing high-visability vests, and no Armed Queers were “part of any escalation of events.” 

“One of Armed Queers’ founding principles is ‘The abolition of prisons and police as they serve as nothing but tools of capitalist oppression.’ We completely reject any collaboration with the police or efforts by the state to celebrate certain protest movements, while repressing others,” the Armed Queers statement added. “We were only made aware of any information being shared with the police when public videos had surfaced of 50501’s team.” 

The group added that they grieve “the killing of Afa Ah Loo. His life was unjustly cut short, and our hearts are with his family and his community.’ 

50501 Movement has discouraged bringing guns to protests

Organizers with the national 50501 Movement have said they discourage people from bringing firearms to protests. 

“In the face of this heartbreaking situation, we would like to affirm our commitment to nonviolence and to our non-negotiable prohibition of firearms policy for anyone representing 50501 at any of our actions or events,” organizers with the national 50501 Movement said in a Facebook post Monday. “It is clear we do not have a complete understanding of what happened yet. What is certain is that, if no guns were present at the protest, this tragedy would have been prevented altogether.”

Utah, however, 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 has not adopted a law prohibiting carrying long guns at state capitols or political protests, 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.” 

Salt Lake City police continue to investigate

Salt Lake City Police spokesperson Brent Weisberg said in a lengthy statement issued Monday that police are continuing to investigate the “peacekeepers” involvement, as well as other aspects of the protest’s organization and staffing. He said neither of the two men identified as “peacekeepers” involved in the shooting were “current or former members of law enforcement, including the Salt Lake City Police Department.” 

Police investigating ‘peacekeepers’ role in fatal shooting at ‘No Kings’ protest in Utah

“While Utah law governs when and how a person may carry and use a firearm, the lawfulness of any individual’s possession or use depends on the specific facts and circumstances of each case,” Weisberg said. 

Weisberg said it “remains unclear whether these individuals were hired by or volunteered for the event organizers, or acted on their own initiative.” 

He also noted that the term  “peacekeeper” does not “represent any formal designation recognized by the Salt Lake City Police Department or the City,” and that there was “no record in the event’s permit indicating the presence of organized or armed security.” 

He said the “peacekeeping” term was how the volunteer questioned by police “self-identified.” 

“While the Salt Lake City Police Department was aware that Saturday’s demonstration would include people in support roles, such as those helping to marshal or guide the crowd, these functions are entirely internal to the event,” Weisberg said. “They are not overseen, sanctioned, or trained by the Salt Lake City Police Department. 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.”