Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A renowned Samoan fashion designer has been confirmed dead after he was shot at the "No Kings" protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.

The 39-year-old, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a Utah resident, was shot at the demonstration and despite life-saving efforts died Saturday night at a local hospital after being shot during the protest while a crowd of about 10,000 people marched near 151 S. State Street, the Salt Lake City Police Department confirmed Sunday. 

As of Sunday morning there were still unreleased details about the incident as the investigation is ongoing, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said in a news conference. 

BACKGROUND

A chaotic scene ensued after two armed men in high visibility vests, who Redd described as “possibly part of the event’s peacekeeping team” saw 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa separating from the crowd, moving behind a wall, pulling out a rifle and starting to manipulate it. 

“Gamboa was then confronted by these two men, witnesses say. Gamboa raised the weapon in a firing position and began running toward the crowd,” Redd said on Sunday. “One of the individuals fired three rounds, striking Gamboa, and tragically striking the man who later died.”

The preliminary police investigation found that the victim was not the intended target, “but rather an innocent bystander participating in the demonstration,” Redd said. Gamboa also sustained a minor gunshot wound in the confrontation. 

As the scene unfolded, a bystander took a backpack from Gamboa that contained an AR-15 style rifle and a gas mask, Redd said.

Gamboa’s motivations for being at the protest are still unclear, and there is no indication that others were working with him, Redd said. 

Detectives booked Gamboa into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail for investigation of murder, police said in a release.

Gamboa has no criminal history, police said. Jail documents state he is being held without bail.

Police had not taken any action against the two peacekeeping members as of Sunday, Redd said. The man who fired the shots is cooperating with police.

(Source: Utah News Dispatch)