KSL.com/Salt Lake CityThe national 50501 Movement’s organizers declared on Thursday that they are severing ties with the Salt Lake chapter in the wake of the group’s peacekeeper volunteers shooting and killing an innocent bystander.
Since the legal inquiry is still ongoing, we are unable to provide any additional information at this time. We are decentralized, to emphasize. Every local organization is independent and in charge of its own planning. The national organization said on Facebook and other social media on Thursday that it is no longer associated with SLC 50501 because of their disrespect for our non-negotiable ideals.
Two males who police say identified themselves as members of the rally’s peacekeeping contingent spotted 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa near 151 S. State at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday, while an estimated 10,000 people were walking down 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 men who challenged him shot Gamboa three times with his own revolver, killing an innocent bystander, Arthur Folasa Afa Ah Loo, 39.
RELATED | Utah organizers claim that the safety volunteer who opened fire at the No Kings protest is a veteran of the armed forces.
Gamboa was detained in connection with a murder inquiry. The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office stated on Thursday that formal charges were still being considered. Although the so-called peacekeepers were not taken into custody, the district attorney’s office will nevertheless review their cases.
“Volunteer peacekeeping teams are common for protests,” Sarah Parker, a 50501 national coordinator, told CNN immediately following the incident. Participants, including the peacekeepers, are asked not to carry weapons, she said. Nevertheless, Parker claimed that the two individuals in Salt Lake City prevented a potentially more widespread mass fatality incident.
RELATED LINKS At the Salt Lake No Kings event, a member of the peacekeeping force shot and killed an innocent bystander.
“In a very sad and frightening situation, our safety team did the best they could,” Parker said.
However, the group released a fresh statement on Thursday, claiming that in the immediate aftermath, amidst uncertainty and sadness, our initial remarks contained errors influenced by incomplete and rapidly changing facts. We accept responsibility for those errors and sincerely apologize for any further hurt they may have caused Arturo.
The organization now claims that the organizers of Salt Lake City 50501 failed to meet national criteria.
Our ideals are directly at odds with the existence of weapons and any behavior that puts lives at danger. The national group stated, “We are deeply distressed that harm occurred in an area associated with our name and vision.” Although we do not allow firearms during 50501 demonstrations, we acknowledge that Utah law allows for the open carrying of firearms, and this fact influenced some of the events that transpired.
We are making conscious efforts to guarantee that the name 50501 continues to represent the principles we hold dear: disciplined, accountable, and life-affirming, even as we grieve Afa’s passing. According to the group, we are still dedicated to creating a movement based on truth, nonviolence, and the inherent worth of every person.
RELATED | Thousands of people in eastern Idaho demonstrate on No Kings Day
