An innocent spectator “in the manifestation of” no Kings “in the center of Salt Lake City was shot dead on Saturday, police said.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, from Utah, died in a hospital, said Salt Lake City police in an update.
Detectives believe that Ah Loo was in the demonstration as a spectator and “it was not the planned objective of the shots.”
Police arrested Arturo Gamboa, 24 years old. He was hired in the Metropolitan Prison of Salt Lake County for a murder position. It was not clear immediately if Gamboa was still in jail on Sunday and if he has a lawyer.
Also arrested on Saturday were two men who were part of the “Peace Maintenance Team” event. One of the “peace forces” shot the shot that fatally injured Ah Loo, police said.
It was not clear immediately if those two men will face charges.
The men told the police that they saw Gamboa move away from the crowd and begin to manipulate an abundant of AR-15 style, which led them to draw their weapons and order him to release the gun, the police said.
Instead, Gamboa ran into the crowd, holding his weapon in “a shot position,” said the police. In response, one of the “peace forces” shot three shots, one of which hit Gamboa and another that hit Ah Loo, according to the police.
Police said they are still investigating, specifically looking for the actions of “peace forces”, who are not officials responsible for enforcing the law. The authorities still do not know why Gamboa took out the rifle or why he fled the “peace forces.”
Gamboa did not shoot the shot that fatally hit Ah Loo, but still faces the murder position because the detectives “developed a probable cause that Gamboa acted in circumstances that showed an indifference depraved towards human life, knowingly involved in a behavior that created a serious risk of death and finally caused the death of an innocent member of the community,” said the police.
The State Forensic Doctor’s office will determine the official cause and the way of death of Ah Loo.
A Police Motor Squad detective reported having heard shots at 7:56 pm on Saturday, police said. The officers found Ah Loo wounded while working to clear the scene and identify the origin of the shots, police said.
The authorities tried to save the man at the scene before being sent to the hospital in an ambulance.
Minutes later, the police said, they found Gamboa, who crouched down in the middle of a group of people and had a gunshot wound. He had an AR-15 style weapon near, the police said.
The officers also found a gas mask, black clothes and a backpack, said the police department.
Then they identified the “peace forces” with green neon vests of high visibility and with guns.
The march was one of the many “No Reyes” events throughout the country on Saturday, a counter of the military parade of President Donald Trump in Washington.
He also arrived immediately after the days of protests in Los Angeles and other cities throughout the country after immigration raids.
