"Project Runaway" contestant killed during "No Kings" protests in Salt Lake City
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo died after being hit by gunfire at the “No Kings” rally in Salt Lake City.
On Saturday, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a 39-year-old fashion designer, died after being hit by gunfire during the "No Kings" demonstration in Salt Lake City. Folasa, known as Afa to his loved ones, was a former competitor on Project Runway, the reality television series focused on fashion design.
Arthur leaves behind a wife, Laura, and their two children. Salt Lake City Police confirmed his death, referring to him as an "innocent bystander," saying that he was not the target of the gunfire. Afa was the first Samoan participant on the TV show and participated during the 17th season.
What happened with Arthur Folasa?
During the demonstration, SLCPD organized a "peacekeeping team," armed with handguns and wearing neon green vests. Two of them noticed a suspicious man leaving the crowd and walking behind a wall. This man was later identified as 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa. This occurred near State Street.
According to SLCPD, Gamboa took an AR-15-style rifle out of his backpack. The officers demanded that he drop the weapon, but he allegedly raised it and tried to run, aiming it at the crowd of people. One peacekeeper fired three rounds, and one of them hit Folasa, who was transferred to a hospital, where he died from his wounds.
No Kings movement was organized to support LA protesters on President Trump's birthday. Photo: AFP News
Utah representative talks about Folasa
A Utah representative, Verona Mauga, a Democrat from Salt Lake County, spoke about Folasa's tragedy, saying that "Afa is a person who believed in equity and equality for all people and all communities. He believed that everyone was deserving of basic human rights. And that’s why he was there."
The "No Kings" march was a movement organized against Donald Trump's policies, on his 79th birthday, when he organized a military parade for the occasion. The marches had a nationwide reach, from coast to coast, and also showed support for the recent protests in Los Angeles, where Trump deployed military forces to stop them.
