CITY OF SALT LAKE (KSL.com) Late Friday, the armed guy who was detained for a murder inquiry at the No Kings demonstration in Salt Lake City was freed from the Salt Lake County Jail.
An order prepared by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office was signed by 3rd District Judge James Blanch on Friday, releasing 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa from custody as he awaits the filing of official criminal charges. The court agreed to prolong his hold in the Salt Lake County Jail by three days, and the order was issued one day later.
Following the first assessment of the case’s preliminary evidence by the district attorney’s office on Friday, the decision was taken.
According to the order, the state has concluded that it cannot make an informed decision regarding the filing or rejection of charges against Mr. Gamboa prior to his scheduled release date of Monday. While Mr. Gamboa is being released with certain restrictions that were agreed upon through his lawyer, Greg Skordas, the state is continuing to analyze the material as it becomes available.
Gamboa will be required to check in with Pretrial Services upon his release from custody, give an address where he will be residing and where he can be reached, refrain from carrying a handgun, and turn in his passport.
Two men who police say identified themselves as members of the rally’s peacekeeping contingent spotted Gamboa close to 151 S. State a week ago, while an estimated 10,000 people marched along State Street. According to one of the men, he saw Gamboa leave the main group and go to a private spot behind a wall.
The peacekeepers kept an eye on Arturo because they thought this behavior was strange. Arturo took an AR-15-style rifle out of a rucksack he was carrying, according to one of the peacekeepers. He watched as Arturo started to handle the rifle, and they drew their own weapons and yelled for him to stop. According to a police booking document, Arturo then raised the rifle and, according to witnesses, started running toward the sizable group of people gathering on State Street while brandishing the weapon in a shooting position.
Gamboa did not shoot during the altercation with rally volunteers, according to the police. However, one of the two guys who challenged him fired three shots from his own revolver, injuring Gamboa and killing Arthur Folasa Afa Ah Loo, a 39-year-old innocent bystander.
Gamboa was detained in connection with a murder inquiry.
RELATED LINKS At the Salt Lake No Kings event, a member of the peacekeeping force shot and killed an innocent bystander.
According to Skordas’ motion to have his client released from detention, there is no solid evidence to support Mr. Gamboa’s murder charge because he did not commit murder. As was previously mentioned, there is a wealth of publicly available information that exclusively depicts other people shooting at Mr. Gamboa rather than him pointing his rifle at anyone. Therefore, Mr. Gamboa should not be granted bail because the guilty verdict cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Fundraising for the Gamboa Legal Fund* is taking place on the Givebutter.com platform. Prior to Friday’s statement, the group was also advocating for his release from prison, albeit it was unclear who was behind the money-raising campaign.
According to the campaign, “They are holding him even though his weapon was never fired, his gun barrel was never pointed anywhere but the ground, and the bullet that tragically killed Ah Loo came from the gun held by a hired peacekeeper.” Arturo is accustomed to open-carrying. He has previously participated in a number of peaceful protests, and he has complied with requests to demonstrate without weapons as, at his core, he only cares about showing up to support the issues he believes in.
The fundraiser claims that numerous eyewitness and video reports demonstrate that he was merely calmly accompanying the protest and not instigating it. The decision to carry a firearm to a nonviolent demonstration seems dubious, but it was entirely legal and shouldn’t have a lasting impact on his life.
The national 50501 Movement’s organizers said on Thursday that they are no longer associated with the Utah 50501 Movement, which coordinated the march in Salt Lake City last weekend. It stated that the existence of firearms and any behavior that puts lives in danger are completely at odds with the principles we hold dear. The fact that harm occurred in an area associated with our name and vision causes us great distress.
RELATED | Following a deadly shooting, the Salt Lake organization has severed ties with the National 50501 Movement.
Skordas stated in the defense motion to free Gamboa that he is not a flight risk and has no criminal history. He lives with his parents and is 24 years old. He has no cause to leave the jurisdiction and no way to do so. He was legally in possession of the gun. He wasn’t drunk or under the influence of anything. Gamboa had unloaded his gun. The peacekeeper who killed the protester and shot Gamboa was neither taken into custody or prosecuted.
Police say their acts are being investigated and will be examined by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office for possible criminal charges, even though the so-called peacekeepers were not taken into custody.
In a brief statement released Friday afternoon, the Salt Lake City Police Department requested that anyone with information or footage from the incident get in touch with them.
Anyone with information, including video, about this crime is encouraged to come forward by the Salt Lake City Police Department. Direct submission of digital evidence is possible via the SLCPD public evidence site. Call 801-799-3000 to talk with an officer if necessary. The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office is working with the Salt Lake City Police Department to conduct an active investigation. We acknowledge and value the tremendous amount of effort our detectives have put into this case.
Gamboa, who attended the protest because he genuinely thinks that individuals have the ability to change the world, is described by the fundraiser as a gentle giant. For many years, he has been an active member of the local political community.
