A new picture of the Salt Lake City protester arrested in a deadly “No Kings” shooting is emerging, and it is different from the one safety volunteers at the event provided to officials.
Arturo Gamboa, 24, never fired his weapon, but he was arrested on suspicion of murder Saturday. He had not been formally charged as of Wednesday evening, according to police records.
His arrest stems from statements provided to law enforcement by two volunteer “peacekeepers,” who said they saw Gamboa raise an assault-style rifle and point it into a crowd of people.
But a new video appears to show Gamboa pointing his rifle down toward the ground and moving away from three gunshots fired by a safety volunteer.
One of the bullets killed a bystander, fashion designer Afa Ah Loo, 39, and the other grazed Gamboa, who was arrested at the scene.
Utah is an “open-carry” state, meaning people can visibly carry firearms in public without permits, but police said Gamboa posed a “substantial danger to another individual or to the community.”
Authorities have not released the names of the two volunteers, and the shooter has not been arrested or charged with a crime.
The video, first obtained by KSTU-TV of Salt Lake City, calls into question the volunteers’ version of events in the moments before Gamboa and Ah Loo were shot, loved ones said.
“He wouldn’t even hurt a fly,” Gamboa’s mother, Marianna Gamboa, said in her first interview since her son was arrested. “He’s got strong opinions, and he has a right to carry.”
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said it will decide Thursday whether to charge Gamboa with a crime, extend his jail time or release him.
Salt Lake City police declined to directly comment on the video. They said in a statement that investigators are still collecting and analyzing evidence.
“This remains a complex investigation that will take time as detectives work to determine the full sequence of events,” Brent Weisberg, a police spokesman, said in an emailed statement. “We are continuing to gather the necessary information to support a referral to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.”
The rally’s organizer, the Utah chapter of the 50501 Movement, said in a statement that the volunteer who shot Gamboa and Ah Loo is a military veteran “who believed there was an imminent threat to the protestors and took action.”
The organization said the safety volunteers were selected because of their military, first-responder and “deescalation” experience.
Volunteers told police this week they saw Gamboa pull out an AR-15-style rifle from a backpack and “begin manipulating it.” They shouted at Gamboa to drop his weapon, but he advanced on the crowd with his rifle raised, the volunteers said.
In the video circulating online, Gamboa’s rifle appears to be pointing down as he jogs away from the gunfire.
“Arturo is just a sweet kid,” said Konrad Keele, a longtime friend and mentor from the local music scene. “I’m broken-hearted that he has to sit in a jail cell until they figure this out.”
Keele first met Gamboa when he was 16 years old and Keele operated punk venues in Salt Lake City. Gamboa always loved music and learned to play guitar, bass and drums, Keele said.
Born to a Venezuelan father and a white mother, Gamboa became involved in the local activist community and was a regular at meetings and shows. Those who know him describe him as articulate, thoughtful and dedicated.
“He’s never been violent,” Keele said. “I’ve never met anyone who knew Arturo and didn’t like him.”
Keele is helping coordinate support efforts for Gamboa and his family. He is facilitating conversations with the public defender’s office should Gamboa need legal representation, and he planned to hold a community meeting Wednesday night to schedule jail visits. Keele has also booked three benefit concerts this summer to raise money for Gamboa’s legal fees.
Jeanette Padilla Vega, president and CEO of the nonprofit Food Justice Coalition, said she first started seeing Gamboa at meetings and protests in 2020. She marched alongside him several times and heard him address large crowds. She was struck by his passion and poise, she said.
“He’s extremely talented, extremely beloved by his friends, family in the community, so active,” Padilla Vega said. “To lose him like this, it just feels so incredibly horrific. The emotion is very raw for a lot of people.”
Gamboa’s supporters have flooded social media demanding to know how event organizers vetted safety volunteers and whether there was any training before Saturday’s protest. Sarah Parker, a national coordinator for the 50501 Movement, has said all attendees, including safety volunteers, were asked not to bring weapons.
