Utah News Dispatch
Afa Ah Loo’s family sues his alleged killer, organizers of June No Kings protest
Laura Ah Loo, wife of Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo, who was shot and killed at the “No Kings” protest in June, and her attorneys hold a press conference at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Earlier in the day Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced his office has filed manslaughter charges against the so-called “peacekeeper” who opened fire and accidentally killed Ah Loo. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
The family of an innocent bystander shot and killed at a Salt Lake City No Kings protest in June is suing the armed volunteer charged in his death, along with protest organizers who they allege rushed to bring on armed “peacekeepers” for the event without taking time to vet them.
Afa Ah Loo’s widow, Laura Ah Loo, their children and his mother filed the lawsuit Monday in Salt Lake County’s 3rd District Court, seeking damages of more than $300,000 to be determined at trial for pain and suffering, lost financial support, funeral expenses and other costs.
“For the sake of our community’s safety, we need to do better,” Laura Ah Loo said at a news conference Monday.
Her attorneys argue in the lawsuit that organizers with Utah 50501 chose some members of an armed security team within 24 hours of the protest and didn’t properly evaluate their experience and training on the rushed timeline. Ah Loo, the lawsuit says, was “killed by the combined negligence of all defendants.”
“Afa’s death was tragic, and it was all too preventable,” Edward Havas, an attorney for Ah Loo’s mother, Taupouga Folasa Samoa, said at the news conference.
In December, Salt Lake County prosecutors charged Matthew Scott Alder with manslaughter, accusing him of shooting three times during the packed No Kings protest last summer. One shot wounded his intended target, a man carrying a rifle. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said the third shot killed Afa Ah Loo, calling it reckless.
Ah Loo’s family contends in their lawsuit that Alder could have moved to a different spot “to ensure he was shooting against a wall and not into a crowd of those he claims he intended to protect.” An attorney who recently represented Alder in court has said what happened was a tragedy but not a crime. The attorney, Philp Wormdahl, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The family’s attorneys noted Arturo Gamboa’s decision to carry a rifle at the event, “while possibly alarming to some, was not illegal.”
Utah’s permissive gun laws allow people to carry guns openly at demonstrations. A lawmaker tried to change that this session, but her proposal failed at the state Capitol. So did another bill seeking to clarify when a shooter is responsible for injuring or killing bystanders.
During the protest, an organizer notified police that someone dressed in black with “an assault type weapon” — a description matching Gamboa’s appearance that day — was seen near a Maverik convenience store a short distance from protesters’ path, but it’s not clear if the armed volunteers were also notified, the lawsuit states.
Gov. Spencer Cox said in June that the Department of Public Safety had warned Utah 50501 organizers ahead of their protest that arming people was a “bad idea.” The group said in response the governor was “grossly misinformed.”
The state then released copies of its correspondence with organizers saying that “a ‘private security team’ is not allowed at the Utah State Capitol.” Whoever applied for the Salt Lake City protest event permit used an alias and got approval anyway, the city acknowledged in August, prompting it to strengthen its requirements.
Under the name Michael Andaman and affiliation with “Utah Protest and Rally, LLC,” someone obtained a permit for an event of 1,000 people, but no one has been able to find Andaman or Utah Protest and Rally, and Utah 50501 was the only group tied to creating and marketing the protest, the lawsuit states. A search of Utah’s business registrations database on Monday didn’t turn up any results for the LLC.
The protest drew an estimated 10,000 demonstrators voicing their opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies.
In addition to Alder, lawsuit names as defendants five alleged Utah 50501 organizers: Samantha Cooper, Taylor Stapleton, Charles J. Paddia, Travis Hysell and Collin Catalfamo.
In an email to Utah News Dispatch, Hysell said, “I was not a 50501 organizer. I’m being slandered.”
The suit also names Wendy Garvin, who the lawsuit says assisted the group by communicating with local and state agencies and police regarding the rally.
No attorneys were listed for the six in court records. A hearing in the case has not yet been scheduled.
