Protester is fatally shot at ‘No Kings’ rally in Utah; car rams Riverside rally, injuring protester

A man believed to be part of a peacekeeping team for the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City shot at a person who was brandishing a rifle at demonstrators, injuring the rifleman and killing a bystander among the crowd, authorities said Sunday.

Police took the suspected rifleman, Arturo Gamboa, 24, into custody Saturday evening on a murder charge, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said at a Sunday news conference. The protester, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, died at a hospital.

Meanwhile, at the “No Kings” rally Saturday in Riverside, a woman was seriously injured when an SUV rammed the crowd of protesters, authorities said.

Detectives don’t yet know why Gamboa pulled out a rifle or ran from the peacekeepers, but they accused him of creating the dangerous situation that led to Ah Loo’s death. The Associated Press did not immediately find an attorney listed for Gamboa or contact information for his family in public records.

Redd said a man dressed in a brightly colored vest fired three shots from a handgun at Gamboa, inflicting a relatively minor injury but fatally wounding Ah Loo.

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.

“No Kings” protests swept across the country Saturday, as millions rallied in cities nationwide against what demonstrators view as President Trump’s monarch-like, authoritarian excesses.

Confrontations were largely isolated. They included a driver of an SUV who authorities said struck a woman who was participating a “No Kings” demonstration in Riverside 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 jeering at and then skirmishing with a masked man Saturday, 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.

The Utah chapter of the 50501 Movement, which helped organize the protests, said in a statement on Instagram that it condemned the rifleman in Salt Lake City and thanked first responders and “our safety team” for the quick response.

The Utah chapter did not immediately respond to AP questions about the peacekeeping team. It was unclear who hired the peacekeepers, whether they were volunteers or what their training was prior to the event. Redd said that the peacekeepers’ actions are also part of the investigation.

The shooter and another person in a vest allegedly saw Gamboa separate from the crowd of marchers in downtown Salt Lake City, move behind a wall and brandish a rifle around 8 p.m., Redd said.

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, Redd said.

That’s when one of the men dressed in the bright vests shot three rounds, hitting Gamboa and Ah Loo, Redd said. Gamboa, who police said didn’t have a criminal history, was wounded and treated before being booked into jail.

Police said they recovered an AR-15 style rifle, a gas mask and a backpack at the scene.

Bedayn writes for the Associated Press.