The protester shot dead at a “No Kings” rally in Utah was a fashion designer who appeared on “Project Runway” — and was actually hit by event “peacekeepers” who opened fire on a gunman who allegedly ran at the crowd with a raised AR-15-style rifle, according to authorities.
Married dad Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, the first Samoan designer to appear on the hit Bravo show, died at a hospital after being found wounded Saturday at the large rally in Salt Lake City protesting President Trump, police said.
“The preliminary investigation shows Ah Loo was participating in the demonstration and appears to have been an innocent bystander who was not the intended target of the gunfire,” the department said.
The terrifying incident — which saw the crowd of more than 10,000 people running for their lives — was initially treated as an active shooting.
Arturo Gamboa, who was found injured while dressed all in black near a dropped AR-15-style rifle, was arrested and booked into jail on a murder charge.
However, the investigation suggests he never fired — and the deadly shots were instead from two event “peacekeepers” who confronted Gamboa after seeing him “pull out an AR-15-style rifle from a backpack and begin manipulating it,” the department said.
“The peacekeepers drew their firearms and ordered Gamboa to drop the weapon,” police said.
“Gamboa instead lifted the rifle and began running” toward terrified protesters, “holding the weapon in a firing position,” police said, citing witnesses.
“In response, one of the peacekeepers fired three rounds. One round struck Gamboa, while another tragically wounded Mr. Ah Loo.”
Detectives are still actively investigating Gamboa as well as “the actions of the peacekeepers,” police said, without identifying the peacekeepers nor detailing their background or exact role at the event.
Ah Loo, also known as “Afa,” was a beloved 39-year-old designer living in Utah but raised in Lotopa and Falelima in Samoa.
He appeared in Season 17 of “Project Runway” in 2019, the first Samoan contestant, returning for “Project Runway Redemption.” He also created couture for cast members of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” and was invited by the late Queen Elizabeth II to present his collection at Buckingham Palace during London Fashion Week, the outlet said.
Utah State Representative Verona Mauga had been with the designer shortly earlier Saturday, but not when he was fatally shot, she told KSLTV
“He brought joy and laughter to the community, and he shared his art and his talents so freely with people,” Mauga said.
“Afa is a Samoan fashion designer, the first Samoan to make it on ‘Project Runway. And that was a big deal, to have someone of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander heritage be able to break into the fashion industry, and he’s done amazing work for fabulous people.”
Ah Loo leaves behind a wife and two children. His family has set up a GoFundMe to handle funeral expenses.
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