CITY OF SALT LAKE Event organizers claim the so-called peacekeeper who shot two people during the No Kings rally in Salt Lake City, including an innocent bystander, had military training, despite police claims he had no prior law enforcement experience.
The Utah 50501 organization, which assisted in planning the march on Saturday, issued a statement on Monday about the incident and said the so-called peacekeepers were safety volunteers.
Arturo Roberto Gamboa, 24, was spotted by two men who police say were part of a peacekeeping squad for the event just before 8 p.m. on Saturday, when 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. After drawing their own weapons, he watched Arturo start to handle the rifle before they 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.
RELATED LINKS At the Salt Lake No Kings event, a member of the peacekeeping force shot and killed an innocent bystander.
Three bullets were fired by one of the two armed peacekeepers. Gamboa was struck in the stomach by one of the shots. Arthur Folasa Afa Ah Loo, 39, was struck by another bullet and killed; according to the police, he was an innocent spectator.
Gamboa went to the entrance of a building close to 100 South and 200 East and huddled down with other people who were huddled together for protection while the two peacekeepers ministered to Ah Loo.
He is crouching, as if in disbelief, and I assume he is asking everyone, “What are we going to do with this?” Sam Hernandez, the witness, told KSL-TV.
“Hey, man, what do you have in that bag?” I said, pointing at him. I could tell just by the way he looked at me. As soon as I picked up the bag and held it up, I noticed the rifle’s stock, or barrel. I simply grabbed it and pulled it out. Since I knew the cops were approaching, I held it up in the hopes that they wouldn’t think I was someone else. I said, “Hey, this is a rifle, we’ve got a rifle here.”
Hernandez states “I came to protest,” Gamboa informed him. Hernandez, however, says he’s glad he was able to witness something and speak up.
According to Hernandez, carrying an AR-15 or any similar weapon is merely a warning that something bad is about to happen. It just doesn’t seem like a safe course of action to me.
Despite without firing a shot, Gamboa was taken into custody in connection with a murder inquiry. Police held and interrogated the two peacekeepers, but they were later freed without being taken into custody. According to the agency, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to press any criminal charges after the investigation into those two men is complete.
The Salt Lake City Police Department stated Monday that one of the men questioned whether he self-described as a peacekeeper, citing the use of the phrase in Gamboa’s police booking affidavit and a news release. The phrase does not refer to any official title accepted by the city or the Salt Lake City Police Department. Currently, there is no information available regarding whether the event organizers use this phrase officially. The event permit contains no information on the existence of armed or organized security.
The 50501 group did not use the word “peacekeeper” in its Monday statement.
Our group of safety volunteers, who were chosen according to their military, first responder, and other relevant de-escalation experience, acted because they thought the demonstrators were in immediate danger. A veteran of the armed forces is the safety volunteer who helped the person and was questioned by the police.
The gang added that they are using everything they own to grieve for Ah Loo.
According to Salt Lake City police spokesperson Brent Weisberg, the department’s inquiry would include a review of the peacekeepers’ training and any applicable state regulations regarding the carrying of weapons.
RELATED | Police are looking into the peacekeepers’ involvement in the shooting death at the rally in Salt Lake.
Detectives will also be looking into whether Gamboa planned to carry out a mass shooting and what his suspected motivation would have been. According to Weisberg, there was no proof as of Monday that anyone else was collaborating with Gamboa.
