Police investigate disruptions at ‘No Kings' rallies; 1 protester killed
Police are investigating at least three disruptions at 'No Kings' protests against President Donald Trump that took place across the country Saturday — including one which led to the death of a protester.
The incidents came during a largely peaceful day of protest during which tens of thousands of people packed streets across the country to demonstrate against Trump and his policies. Organizers had said they planned 'No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance' rallies in more than 2,000 cities to oppose what organizers called growing presidential authoritarianism. Here's what to know.
The sound of gunfire at a Saturday evening protest and march in Salt Lake City sent hundreds of people scattering in panic to hide in parking garages and in nearby businesses, police said.
A 39-year-old man, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, was shot and killed by a person police identified as an armed member of the 'No Kings' protest's peacekeeping team, the Salt Lake City Police Department said in a release Sunday. Ah Loo, police said, was not the 'intended target.'
Two peacekeepers, who were carrying handguns and wearing high-visibility neon green vests, were attempting to stop a different man, Arturo Gamboa, 24, whom witnesses saw take out an AR-15-style rifle and run toward protesters 'holding the weapon in a firing position,' police said.
One of the peacekeepers fired three times at Gamboa and struck both him and Ah Loo, police said. Gamboa was arrested by police and charged with murder. He was dressed in all black clothing and wearing a black mask, and officers also located a gas mask, black clothing, and a backpack nearby, police said.
Police said his actions 'ultimately caused the death of an innocent community member.' Officers also detained the two peacekeepers and are investigating their involvement, police said.
'Detectives have not been able to determine, at this time, why Gamboa pulled out his rifle and began to manipulate it or why he ran from the peacekeepers when they confronted him,' police said.
The same day, police arrested Joseph Checklick Jr., 21, after an SUV drove through a crowd departing a 'No Kings' protest Saturday in Culpeper, Virginia.
An initial investigation found that Checklick 'intentionally accelerated his vehicle into the dispersing crowd' and struck at least one person as departing protesters crossed a business parking lot, the Culpeper Police Department said Saturday. No injuries were reported to police.
Checklick was arrested after a traffic stop and charged with reckless driving. He remains in custody, spokesperson Julia Cole told The Washington Post Monday. The investigation is ongoing, and police are considering additional charges, Cole said.
It was not clear how many people were in the crowd. About 600 people attended the demonstration, according to officer Julia Schoelwer of the Culpeper police.
Texas Department of Public Safety arrested a suspect after evacuating the State Capitol complex in Austin Saturday because of a threat made against state lawmakers planning to attend a protest there. Soon after the evacuation, the event organizer said it would proceed as planned.
The Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to an inquiry Monday.
Martin Weil contributed to this report.
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