Utah News Dispatch
1 year on, widow of bystander killed at No Kings protest calls for ‘responsible gun laws’
Flowers and pictures are left at a memorial to Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo, Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at the site where he was shot and killed at the “No Kings” protest on State Street in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
A year after her husband was shot and killed at a No Kings protest in Salt Lake City, Laura Ah Loo wants him to be remembered for his kindness and the ways he stood up for others.
She’s also expressing frustration that two proposals to change Utah’s gun laws, both informed by the shooting of Afa Ah Loo, never gained momentum in the Legislature this year.
Laura Ah Loo shared her thoughts with Utah News Dispatch in written statements, reflecting on her late husband’s legacy and the action she hopes government leaders and everyday Utahns will take.
“I want Afa to always be remembered for exactly who he was — a selfless, humble, creative, kind, hilarious, inclusive, and bold person who wasn’t afraid to take action to get things done and to be the change and representation he wanted for the current and future generations,” his wife said. “Afa used his voice and spoke up against injustice of any kind. He lived by ‘community over competition’ and was always willing to elevate anyone and any community.”
As Afa Ah Loo’s community and family mourned his death, the events put a spotlight on Utah’s permissive gun laws and raised questions about who’s responsible when a bystander is killed at a public event. The tragic chain of events that led to his death unfolded during the demonstration on June 14, 2025, when protesters marching in Salt Lake City ran for cover as three gunshots rang out.
The 39-year-old father of two, also a celebrated fashion designer and the first Samoan contestant on TV’s “Project Runway,” had been marching with fellow demonstrators on State Street and taking video when an armed safety volunteer firing at someone else who he believed was a threat accidentally shot Ah Loo in the head, authorities said.
Salt Lake County prosecutors charged the volunteer, Matthew Scott Alder, with manslaughter in Ah Loo’s killing. They said Alder also wounded his intended target — Arturo Gamboa — a man carrying a rifle during the protest. A defense attorney for Alder has said that the shooting was a tragedy but his client did not break any laws. In response to a lawsuit filed by Laura Ah Loo and other family members, attorneys for Alder have argued in a court filing that Gamboa is to blame for what happened that day.
Salt Lake City police initially arrested Gamboa for investigation of murder, saying the volunteer saw him manipulating his rifle. But he was later released, and Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced roughly six months later Gamboa had not committed any crime that day and would not face any charges. Utah is an open carry state, allowing residents to legally and visibly carry firearms in public, including at demonstrations and the state Capitol.
In her statement to Utah News Dispatch, Laura Ah Loo praised the measures sponsored by Democrats during the legislative session this year, saying, “responsible gun laws can and should be a goal that we can all work together on achieving.”
One bill, sponsored by Afa Ah Loo’s friend, Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Taylorsville, would prohibit people from openly carrying guns within 500 feet of large gatherings such as protests. It did not receive a committee hearing or a vote.
Prosecutors charge armed volunteer with killing bystander at Utah No Kings protest
The other proposal from Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, sought to clarify Utah’s self-defense law so prosecutors can reach faster decisions when bystanders are injured or killed. It failed in the state Senate after an earlier version faced pushback from gun rights advocates and defense attorneys.
“I was incredibly grateful and proud of Representative Mauga and Senator Riebe for wanting to take action to improve public safety due to my husband’s tragic death that never should have happened,” Laura Ah Loo said.
She called the fact the measures stalled “extremely disappointing” and shared her view that “the Utah Legislature didn’t want a ‘spectacle’ on the house floor by having to have hard conversations about gun safety, but are not considering the ‘spectacle’ an event like this causes to those who lose a loved one … and the spectacle it has caused on my house floor.”
She said “he meant so much to so many, and his role of husband and father meant the most to him.”
Representatives for the Republican majorities in the Utah House and Senate did not immediately return requests for comment about the legislation on Monday.
Laura Ah Loo is also encouraging Utah lawmakers to adopt her husband’s mindset of “community over competition” to improve safety when it comes to guns in public places in Utah.
“I am hopeful that members of the Utah Legislature will be more willing to have open-minded, understanding and compassionate conversations at the next legislative session for the sake of the safety of those they are elected to serve and protect,” she said.
She noted many sorts of public events lack safeguards to protect innocent bystanders.
“I hope that responsible gun owners and responsible leaders can work together and see that safety measures are needed so that tragedies like this don’t happen again — because they will happen again if changes are not made to protect public safety,” she said.
