Four months after the fashion designer Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo was killed during a “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City, his widow Laura is calling on officials for accountability in his death.
The former “Project Runway” star who ran his business from Salt Lake City and also cofounded the nonprofit Creative Pacific Foundation, was fatally struck on June 14 during a march with thousands of people. The 29-year-old was described as an “innocent bystander” by the Salt Lake City Police Department in its preliminary investigation. After gunfire erupted after 8 p.m. MST, hundreds ran for safety, with some hiding in parking garages or behind barriers, and others went into nearby businesses. After Salt Lake City police officers arrived to secure the scene, they found a man who had been shot and immediately began lifesaving efforts. Ah Loo later died at a local hospital.
At the scene, Salt Lake City police officers found 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa on the ground with a gunshot wound and an AR-15 style rifle nearby. He was treated, taken into custody, and later released. In June, SLCPD said they detained two men, who were wearing neon green vests and were carrying handguns. They were said to be part of the peacekeeping movement. One of the men was said to have fired three rounds after Gamboa raised the rifle he was carrying and ran toward the crowd. One round struck Gamboa and another “tragically wounded” Ah Loo, according to the SLCPD in June.
No one has been charged in relation to his death.
Laura Ah Loo and her legal team, which includes Jim McConkle and Brian Stewart of Parker McConkle, held a press conference Wednesday. A photograph of the designer carrying a sign that read “The World is Watching” was displayed. She said, “My husband believed that everyone — no matter of their background or their status — deserved to be seen, heard and loved.”
She and her lawyers are calling for an independent investigation and reform to how protests are held in the city. Laura Ah Loo, the mother of two young children, described his death as having been the result of “individual, organizational and systemic failures.” She said she plans to file a lawsuit. “Responsibility means that those who organize and who oversee public areas must prioritize transparency and preparation…responsibility is not just a talking point, it is a premier obligation.”
Thousands knew the Samoan-born designer for participating in Season 17 of the Bravo show “Project Runway.” Laura Ah Loo said, “Afa always stood for those, who needed justice the most, and now I stand for him now.”
In response to the press conference, Salt Lake City’s district attorney Sim Gill’s office issued the following statement Wednesday, “We sympathize with the pain and loss suffered by the Ah Loo family. We met with them early in the process and explained that this review would take time. We have been open and available to reach for anyone from their counsel, since our first meeting and continue to be. We are carefully working through a complex and nuanced legal analysis. We expect to reach a decision soon.”
Media requests to the Salt Lake City Police Department and to Parker McConkle were not immediately returned on Wednesday.
