Project Runway Alum Arthur Ah Loo Fatally Shot Amid ‘No Kings’ Protest
Nothing screams ‘peaceful protest’ like the crack of gunfire slicing through your newsfeed on a Saturday afternoon.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, a 39-year-old Project Runway Season 17 alum, was fatally shot during June 14’s ‘No Kings’ demonstration in Salt Lake City, according to E! News and an official Salt Lake City Police Department press release.
Because when submitting runway sketches doesn’t get you attention, apparently serving as unexpected target practice does.
The fashion designer—affectionately known to friends as Afa—was given immediate on-site medical care before firefighters from the Salt Lake City Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance arrived.
Despite heroic efforts, Ah Loo succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital, authorities confirmed.
If only he’d stuck to sketch pads instead of becoming a bullet magnet.
Chief Brian Redd expressed condolences “to the family and friends of the 39-year-old man” and added that the community is grappling with this “traumatic incident.”
A preliminary investigation determined Ah Loo was an innocent bystander, not the intended target of the gunfire.
Police sympathy cards? Less flashy than couture but infinitely more practical.
Investigators say a member of the protest’s peacekeeping team spotted 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa pulling an AR-15-style rifle from his backpack.
When ordered to drop the weapon, Gamboa allegedly advanced toward the crowd, prompting a peacekeeper to fire three shots—one striking Ah Loo.
Packing heat to a peace rally: because subtlety is overrated.
Gamboa, clad head to toe in black with a mask obscuring his face, was also wounded by return fire and treated at the scene.
He now faces a murder charge and remains in custody at Salt Lake County Metro Jail, per the SLCPD.
When your ‘public service’ role includes drive-by interventions, maybe rethink the job title.
E! News reached out to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department for comment, but Gamboa’s representatives were silent—an abrupt statement louder than any gunshot.
Outside of reality TV, Ah Loo launched Creative Pacific, a nonprofit celebrating Pacific Island culture through vibrant events and community outreach, according to Forbes.
Turning island traditions into runway inspirations seems safer than dabbling in urban warfare.
Detectives vow to “thoroughly investigate the circumstances” so this doesn’t become a trend, Redd added in the press release.
He insisted the department “will not allow this individual act to create fear in our community.”
Because nothing says ‘we’ve got this under control’ like a fresh bullet hole in downtown.
Ah Loo’s sudden departure leaves a void in both the fashion world and Pacific Island advocacy circles.
Friends and fans continue to mourn the loss of a designer who could turn textiles into statements of cultural pride.
Let’s pretend we learned something today.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! News, Salt Lake City Police Department Press Release, Forbes
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
