Over the past several months, Utah has seen two shootings that took place in front of thousands. First was a June No Kings march that ended in a fatal shooting. And more recently, the September assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Organizers of this weekend’s Salt Lake City No King’s protest say they’re taking safety seriously, but they also say the Saturday, Oct. 18 protest at the Utah State Capitol will be focused on unity and joy.
“As the event got closer and closer, the feelings that were being brought up were still very raw,” said Jamie Carter, a volunteer with the organizing group Salt Lake Indivisible.
At the June 14 Salt Lake City No Kings evening march, an unnamed “safety volunteer” fired three rounds into the crowd because he perceived a man who was carrying a rifle as a threat. One of the volunteer’s bullets killed bystander Afa Ah Loo.
On that same June day, Salt Lake Indivisible held a peaceful morning protest at the University of Utah. Carter said no one who was involved in organizing the evening protest where the shooting took place is involved with the upcoming rally.
Carter said it was an intense, emotional experience for people who attended the fatal evening protest. That combined with an anticipated large number of attendees is why Carter said Salt Lake Indivisible canceled the march they originally had planned.
“We were just concerned about safety, and we didn't feel like we had enough safety and de-escalation support to safely do a march,” Carter said. “Safety is our top concern.”
Instead, Carter said they’re planning to have a dance party following the rally. There will be musicians, a comedian and local organizations tabling and talking with attendees about how to get involved. Carter expects some to show up in inflatable costumes, similar to those worn by anti-ICE demonstrators in Portland, Oregon.
“Our main goal is to bring together people in community,” Carter said. “One of our mantras through this whole thing is ‘No one can steal our joy.’ And so we really want Saturday to be a fun event.”
The rally is hosted in partnership with Green Wave, Our Revolution and DemCast, the last of which Carter is the political director for.
“Our message is simple to Donald Trump: We have no kings in America,” Carter said. “The power belongs to the people. And so that is really what this is about, is bringing people together in community.”
Carter said their team of safety volunteers completed an in-person four-hour training that included role-playing scenarios and de-escalation training. The safety team won’t have firearms, and they’ve also asked that attendees not bring any weapons, even if they are legally permitted.
Salt Lake Indivisible has done walkthroughs with both Salt Lake City Police and Utah Highway Patrol, Carter said. Both agencies will be around for the event, and they have a permit with the Utah State Capitol.
It’s been over four months since Ah Loo was killed. Since then, no charges have been filed.
Immediately after the shooting, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, the man carrying the rifle, was taken into custody. The unnamed safety volunteer told police he believed Gamboa to be a threat and shot him, but it wasn’t fatal. The unintended shot of Ah Loo was.
Gamboa never fired his rifle. His friends have said he often openly carried his gun at protests. Gamboa’s attorney, Greg Skordas, said his client’s gun was unloaded at the time.
With the investigation ongoing, Gamboa was later released from jail. No one else was taken into custody, and the volunteer's name has not been released by officials. Over the summer, Salt Lake City Police handed the investigation over to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
When asked about the status of the investigation, District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement, “The team working the matter is actively engaged in exploring all options.”
While Skordas said he appreciates the work that Gill’s office is doing, he said it has been “frustratingly slow.”
Since the shooting, Skordas said Gamboa has been “on pins and needles, and hasn’t been able to move forward with his life and do the things that he’d like to be doing right now because of fear that he’s going to be charged with a crime that he didn’t commit.”
