SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly six months after a fatal shooting on the streets of Salt Lake City during this summer's No Kings protest march, criminal charges have been filed against the event volunteer connected to the deadly incident.
Watch LIVE below as District Attorney Sim Gill makes announcement below:
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced Wednesday that his office has filed second degree felony manslaughter charges against Matthew Alder, the man who was serving as a so-called “peacekeeper” during the June 14 downtown rally and march.
As thousands of people marched downtown following the rally, Alder fired his weapon at a man seen holding an AR-15 rifle. The ensuing gunfire struck fashion designer Afa Ah Loo, a bystander who was attending the event and was hit near 151 South State Street. Ah Loo was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
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.
Despite detectives finding a disassembled AR-15, three loaded magazines and a knife on the man carrying the rifle, identified as Arturo Gamboa, he will not be charged.
Another security team member told police they had seen Gamboa "hide" behind a column and appear to pull out part of the rifle, and "was struggling" to put it together. The witness added that he understood Utah's open carry laws, but felt the situation involving Gamboa was different as he was "assembling [the rifle] under cover.
Alder's fellow security team member then called out "gun, gun, gun" over his radio as Gamboa moved towards State Street, and believed he was "about to commit a mass shooting," the indictment states. The unidentified witness added that he "should have dropped him," regarding Gamboa, but said he did not have a shot and told police, "there's no way I can shoot [Gamboa] when he's running toward a crowd."
It was at that point that the witness said Alder, who was standing on his left, fired at Gamboa with a 9mm handgun, also striking Ah Loo.
How far was Afa Ah Loo from peacekeeper when he was shot?
During the incident, the indictment states Alder made several statements captured on a responding police officer's body camera, saying he "fired a couple of shots towards the building to ward [Gamboa] off and get him to stop and he just took off."
“I can’t believe it, I saw him, he was loading an AR right there. I can’t believe it. I pulled behind the column, and I took shots at him,” Alder said.
Alder had been hired by SLC 50501, the group that organized the local protest. and was not a law enforcement officer or associated with the Salt Lake City Police Department, but was a military veteran.
According to Salt Lake City Police, the event permit filed by SLC 50501 did not indicate the presence of organized or armed security at the protest.
After the shooting, a guidebook on the website of the national 50501 organization stated its peacekeepers should have strong situational awareness, the ability to remain calm under pressure, knowledge of de-escalation strategies and protest safety, as well as good communication and teamwork skills.
At the time, the guidebook added that peacekeepers are “not expected to confront or disarm someone with a weapon — though peacekeepers have in dire situations.”
