SALT LAKE CITY — The family of Arthur "Afa" Ah Loo feels one step closer to justice after criminal charges were filed for his death at a protest back in June.
Ah Loo was shot and killed at the "No Kings" protest on June 14 in downtown Salt Lake City. On Wednesday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill filed manslaughter charges against 43-year-old Matthew Scott Alder in connection with Ah Loo's death.
"These past five months have been long, painful, and deeply frustrating as we waited for answers after Afa’s life was so carelessly taken," his widow, Laura Ah Loo, said in a statement after Gill announced the charges. "While the wait for justice has been difficult, I understand the need for a careful and thorough investigation in a case as legally complex as this one. I am especially grateful for the diligence and determination of the District Attorney’s office and its investigators which allowed them to reach a decision
that I feel is both moral and just."
Charges state that Alder — a designated "peacekeeper" for the organizing group, SLC 50501 — was shooting at Arturo Gamboa, who was carrying an AR-15 rifle during the march down State Street that day. Gamboa was struck and wounded and later released without any charges. But one stray bullet hit Ah Loo in the head, taking his life.
A summons has been issued for Alder, who Gill said has been cooperating with the investigation and is not considered to be a flight risk.
"Today's charges represent a significant first step in the right direction and establish a precedent that I hope will lead to a safer environment at public gatherings in the future," Laura Ah Loo's statement continued. "No one else should have to go through what I have experienced in the future. It is my desire to help ensure that tragedies like this are prevented in the future, and that public spaces in our community remain safe."
Attorney Jim McConkie, who is representing the Ah Loo family, said in a statement that the family "will cooperate fully with the prosecutors and the justice system. We will be right there pushing along with them.”
McConkie told reporters Wednesday that they are pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit against Alder. He said they do not have any other parties ready to be named in the lawsuit, but they are not ruling anyone out. He specified, however, that they are not planning to name Gamboa as a defendant.
"It's clear to us that he had the right — the legislature gave him the right — to carry the weapon, and he was not doing anything wrong," McConkie said.
