A protest in Salt Lake City has taken a tragic turn.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, who competed on season 17 of Project Runway in 2019, was fatally shot June 14 while participating in a “No Kings” demonstration against President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a press release issued by the Salt Lake City Police Department. He was 39.
The fashion designer was given immediate treatment until the Salt Lake City Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance arrived on the scene, authorities said. Despite their efforts, he later died in hospital.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the 39-year-old man who was killed,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said in the release, “and with the many community members who were impacted by this traumatic incident.”
A preliminary investigation into the incident determined Ah Loo was an “innocent bystander” and that he “was not the intended target of the gunfire.”
The tragedy occurred after members of the event’s peacekeeping team spotted a man, identified as 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, pull an AR-15-style rifle from his backpack, according to the SLCPD’s investigation. When the peacekeepers ordered the man to drop his weapon, he instead moved towards the crowd, prompting one of the peacekeepers to fire three rounds—one of which wounded Ah Loo.
Gamboa, who was dressed in black clothing and wore a black mask, was also struck by one of the rounds and taken to hospital, per authorities. He was later transported to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, where he remains in custody, and charged with murder.
E! News has reached out to the Salt Lake County Sherriff’s Department for comment but has not heard back. A rep for Gamboa was not available for comment.
Ah Loo, who was known to his loved ones as “Afa,” continued to showcase his passion for design outside of reality TV. He launched the nonprofit organization Creative Pacific, hosting events to celebrate Pacific Island culture, according to Forbes.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to investigate the matter.
“Our detectives are now working to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Redd said in the SLCPD’s press release. “We will not allow this individual act to create fear in our community.”
