Salt Lake City Police provide information related to ‘peacekeepers’ involved in shooting at protest

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Salt Lake City Police Department provided an update about the “peacekeepers” who were involved in the shooting that happened at the ‘No Kings’ protest in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

24-year-old Arturo Gamboa was arrested following the shooting on murder charges, and

two men in neon-green vests were detained as well for firing on Gamboa after they saw him carrying an AR-15 style rifle. 39-year-old Arthur Folasa Ah Loo was taken to the hospital in critical condition after he was hit in the crossfire of the altercation and later died from his wounds.

Police referred to the men as “peacekeepers” in a news release Sunday, and they provided additional information about what exactly that term means and who the men are in a statement Monday.

Police said that they used “peacekeepers” to describe the men because that is how one of the men self-described during interviews with SLCPD detectives early on in the investigation.

“The term does not represent any formal designation recognized by the Salt Lake City Police Department or the City,” police said in the statement.

Police stated that it is still not clear at this time if the men were hired by or volunteered for the event organizers or acted on their own. They also do not know if “peacekeeper” is an official term used by event organizers.

What they do know is that there is no record of armed or organized security in the event’s permit, and neither of the men are current or former members of law enforcement.

Police worked with event organizers prior to and during the event, but they said that they do not direct or manage security roles unless that is part of the event’s permit, which was not the case for Saturday’s protest.

Attorney Clayton Simms told ABC4.com in an interview that a peacekeeper doesn’t have any special status and they’re just a Utah citizen.

“They have the right to assist in arresting someone, and they can also defend themselves or a third person,” Simms said. “So, any Utah citizen can conduct an arrest if they see a violent felony occurring. They can defend themselves or defend other people.”

Simms also stated that you have a right to possess a firearm in the state of Utah, but you don’t have a right to threaten people or shoot them.

“While Utah law governs when and how a person may carry and use a firearm, the lawfulness of any individual’s possession or use depends on the specific facts and circumstances of each case,” SLCPD said in their statement.

SLCPD stated that they are working with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office to evaluate the actions of those involved and determine if the use of deadly force in this instance was lawful under Utah state law.

Simms said that he does not believe the “peacekeepers” will be charged.

“They were acting in response to a threat and in fact shot the suspect and unfortunately shot another person who unfortunately was injured and died,” he said. “But it appears that that act is self-defense, is defense of other people, and that individual will not be charged. They have a legal defense to their actions.”

Simms added that the suspect can be charged with murder, even though he didn’t pull the trigger and he wasn’t the one to cause the injury. “He was involved in a violent felony in which it’s foreseeable that during that event, when you’re arrested or to stop you from doing that particular offense, somebody would be injured,” he said.

Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office also provided a statement to ABC4.com. “As this continues to be an active investigation, any comment at this time would be inappropriate,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said.

Police are also asking for help from community members in this investigation. They are requesting that anyone with photos or video of the shooting upload those to this website.