The bells at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral rang Saturday for the “No Kings” march in downtown Salt Lake City. The sound was meant to welcome and support protestors. But things turned chaotic as gunshots were heard.
Around the corner from the cathedral, near 151 South State Street, a stray bullet struck and killed bystander Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo. The gunfire was from a man in a neon green high-visibility vest. He confronted a 24-year-old man, identified as Arturo Gamboa, who was dressed in black and brandishing an AR-15-style rifle.
Gamboa is in custody, while the as-of-yet unidentified man in the vest is cooperating with police.
People scrambled for shelter as the incident unfolded, including Haydee Franco. She and her husband, Walter, were near the cathedral. The protest had been going so well, and everyone was joyful, she said, but everything changed in a moment.
“Everyone's running towards us saying, ‘Shots! Shots! Run for it!’ We didn't know where to go,” Franco said. “And the pastor was like, ‘Come to the church. Come to the church.’ All these people come to the church, the kids, people were just like, huddling up.”
The Right Rev. Phyllis Spiegel, the Episcopal Bishop for Utah, had been part of the march. Before the shooting, she was standing on the top of the cathedral’s stairs, cheering the crowd on — until she saw a SWAT van speed down the street.
The church’s side doors were already open, so she encouraged people to enter there and seek shelter. And then she heard there was a shooter.
“And at that point, I asked for the great doors to be opened, and we — and I just stood outside and got people in as fast as we could.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Pamela McCall: How long were you sheltered in St. Mark’s?
Right Rev. Phyllis Spiegel: So I stayed outside for most of the time trying to get people in, and only I came in and gave a message once we knew what happened. People were here after the all-clear for well over an hour. People couldn't leave. They were very, very scared to go back out onto the street, and so we just let people stay as long as they needed to.
PM: What did you tell the people you brought inside?
RS: I gave them the news that we had and told them that it was safe to go out when it was, but I prayed. I said, “You know, this church, this cathedral, is open to everyone, but it's our tradition to pray. And so if you want to join me now, please do. And if, if you don't, that's fine, you're still welcome here. Please have sanctuary.” And so I prayed in the way we do in our tradition. We believe we pray for those who are harmed, and I especially wanted to pray for those who were mentally going to be harmed from this event, because I know that's happening. I saw it in their faces, and then prayed for, of course, the one who we were afraid had lost their life, for the perpetrator, and for all of the law enforcement officers who did a brilliant job of really containing the scene very quickly before all of that happened.
PM: Why did you march?
RS: My faith. I, as a leader of a denomination in the state, I was in the front. I have to be in the front. I have to be out there. Jeremiah 29:7 tells us that we need to seek the peace of the city where we have been sent, pray to the Lord on its behalf, because in its welfare, we'll have our welfare. And we believe that we are to care for the marginalized, the stranger. We believe the Holy Family were immigrants and this — there's no other choice. You know, our ancestors were a stranger in a strange land. My well-being is tied up in everyone else's well-being. The concept of Ubuntu is the heart of my faith. I am as good as you are, and how you are is how I am.
PM: What role do churches have to play in American politics today?
RS: A far more loving one than I think often gets portrayed. There's so many places where we need to stand up and be in the front, and we need to be doing it with the call to love, the way of love. The golden rule exists for everybody, right? How do you want your children treated? How do you want your grandparents treated? This is how we are to be. The church needs to stop divisions and be absolutely in the forefront and demand — demand that our governance does a better job of caring for all people.
PM: As we said our goodbyes, Rev. Spiegel had one last parting thought:
RS: I just want people to know that we are praying for those who are traumatized and hope that you're seeking help.
