- Utah's No Kings organizers were warned against armed peacekeepers months before a fatal shooting, Gov. Spencer Cox said.
- Cox emphasized the tragedy, stating multiple mistakes led to the incident.
- The district attorney's office continues to investigate, with no formal conclusions yet.
SALT LAKE CITY — Organizers behind Utah's No Kings demonstrations were warned against having armed "peacekeepers" at rallies by state law enforcement months before an innocent bystander was shot and killed during a protest last month, Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters Thursday.
Cox was asked about the fatal June 14 shooting that killed 39-year-old Arthur Folasa "Afa" Ah Loo and whether the state could have done more to prevent the tragedy during his monthly PBS Utah news conference.
"I don't know that there's more that we can do. We work very closely with organizations across the state, including No Kings," the governor said. "That was an absolute tragedy. I can tell you that they were warned months and months and months ago that it was a bad idea to have these 'peacekeepers' to be a part of what they were, what they were attempting to do and that it could lead to something tragic like this, and sadly it did."
Cox added that the Utah Department of Public Safety told the group that having armed people there would be a "bad idea." He said the conversation occurred "before they first started doing this," referring to several earlier demonstrations organized by No Kings.
"That was the conversation. Our DPS said: 'It's a bad idea. You can do it, it's not illegal, there's nothing illegal about it, it's just a bad idea,'" he said. "They said: 'Well, we think it's a good idea.' End of conversation."
The Utah Department of Public Safety confirmed Thursday that administrators had been in talks with the 50501 group from February through May about their planned events at the state Capitol.
"During this time, the group requested that the Utah Highway Patrol remove counter-protesters from their gatherings. We informed them that such action is not permissible, as all individuals have a constitutional right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly," the department said in a prepared statement. "The group also expressed interest in utilizing private security or safety volunteers. We made clear that while they may designate individuals to assist with basic support, such as offering aid in cases of dehydration or minor medical issues, or helping de-escalate conversations, they do not have law enforcement authority and therefore cannot take enforcement actions or attempt to remove individuals from public spaces.
"When the group raised the idea of their private security personnel being armed, we did not tell them they were prohibited from doing so. However, we cautioned against it, explaining the risks and implications of individuals carrying firearms without law enforcement authority," the department said.
It's been more than a month since the shooting, when two men police said described themselves as part of a "peacekeeping" group saw another man they believed to be acting suspiciously move away from the crowd of some 10,000 marchers on State Street and move to a secluded area behind a wall.
"One of the peacekeepers observe (the man, Arturo Gamboa, 24) remove an AR-15 style rifle from a backpack he was carrying. He observed Arturo begin to manipulate the rifle, and they called out to him to drop the gun after drawing their own firearms. Arturo then lifted the rifle, and according to witnesses, he began to run toward the large crowd gathered on State Street holding the rifle in a firing position," a police booking affidavit for Gamboa states.
One of the peacekeepers fired three shots from his own handgun toward Gamboa, injuring Gamboa and killing Ah Loo. Police said Gamboa did not fire his gun during the incident, and Gamboa's attorney said there is no evidence that he was pointing the weapon at anyone.
Gamboa was arrested for investigation of murder shortly after the shooting, but he was released from the Salt Lake County Jail on June 20 after the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office announced "it will be unable to make an informed decision as to whether charges against Mr. Gamboa will be filed or declined" before time ran out to hold him in jail.
The case was screened for charges again on July 2 and on Salt Lake police recently turned the investigation over to the district attorney's office without making a recommendation about who should be charged.
"As of this moment, Salt Lake City Police Department has formally presented the case to our office, but the investigation is not complete," District Attorney Sim Gill said Wednesday. "As with many investigations referred to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, there is follow-up work to be done. This continues to be an open case without any formal conclusions at this stage of the proceedings."
Twenty-six states have adopted laws that prohibit people from carrying long guns at state capitols and/or political demonstrations, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control nonprofit, but Cox said he doesn't think Utah should consider joining them.
"Again, I'm a big believer in the Second Amendment. I don't think it's something that we should consider," he said. "But again, I hope people will just be smart and responsible."
The governor said there were multiple mistakes made that led to the shooting, but declined to say who he thinks is ultimately responsible for Ah Loo's death.
"That's a good question, and the district attorney will eventually make that decision as it goes forward," Cox said. "Again, a lot of good people who made mistakes and it's a tragedy. I don't know who's ultimately responsible, but I think a lot of people are responsible for what happened and it's a terrible tragedy.
"My heart goes out to his family. I think again, mistakes were made by the organizers, by the peacekeepers, by the protester who brought his rifle. Lots of mistakes were made."
Contributing: Pat Reavy
