The 39-year-old man killed at a “No Kings Day” demonstration in Utah was fashion designer Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who competed on Bravo’s “Project Runway” in 2017.
Ah Loo died Saturday after being inadvertently shot by a person believed to have been part of a peacekeeping team at a rally protesting President Trump in Salt Lake City. Police there detained two peacekeepers and arrested a masked third man in all black clothing who appeared to be the shooter’s intended target. He’s identified as 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa.
Police said peacekeepers wearing “high-visibility neon green vests and carrying handguns” fired three shots at Gamboa, who’d reportedly brandished a rifle during the event and appeared suspicious to security workers. Gamboa was hit by at least one of those shots, treated at an area hospital, then jailed on a murder charge, authorities said.
Ah Loo was also stuck by one of those shots. He died in a Utah hospital.
Ah Loo is survived by his wife Laura and a young son and daughter, according to a GoFundMe campaign that raised nearly $200,000 for his family by Monday afternoon. That page states “Afa was a proud Samoan, deeply connected to his culture and community.”
Utah Rep. Verona Mauga called Ah Loo “a selfless pillar of our Pacific Islander community” in a statement praising him for spending his final moment in service to others. Maruga attended the roughly 10,000 person No Kings Day rally, where the killing occurred. Event organizers estimated 5 million people showed up for more than 2,000 events coordinated nationwide to coincide with President Trump’s Washington D.C. military parade honoring the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army and also celebrating his turning 79.
Ah Loo appeared on four episodes of season 17 of “Project Runway” when his designs were judged by panelists including fashionista Christian Siriano and model Karlie Kloss.
With News Wire Services
