Protest guard fired at armed man he mistakenly believed to be threat to protesters but accidentally killed a bystander<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A safety volunteer accused of fatally shooting a man taking part in a June No Kings protest in Salt Lake City, while firing at another armed man he believed to be a threat, was charged with manslaughter<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew Scott Alder, 43, was charged with one count of manslaughter. Alder opened fire during the protest on 14 June after seeing another man, Arturo Gamboa, carrying a rifle. Alder told investigators that he believed Gamboa, 24, was about to commit a mass shooting, so he fired three shots, wounding Gamboa but killing a bystander, Arthur \u201cAfa\u201d Ah Loo. Ah Loo was recording video of protesters in the street when he was fatally shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile you may have a right to use lethal force, that doesn\u2019t mean that lethal force can be used in a reckless manner,\u201d the Salt Lake county district attorney, Sim Gill, told reporters<\/a> on Wednesday in a lengthy description of the process that led to the criminal charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alder was not initially arrested on the day of the protest. However, police did arrest Gamboa and kept him in jail for a week,<\/a> though he was not charged with any crime. Gamboa\u2019s attorney said that his client\u2019s weapon was not loaded and pointing down when he was shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The district attorney confirmed that no charges would be filed against Gamboa, citing Utah<\/a> state law, which allows individuals to carry guns in public spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although he was mistaken for an attacker by the safety volunteer, Gamboa had previously attended many public protests, bringing his AR-15 style rifle to at least a dozen events over the years, including the 2020 protests against police violence, according to a Salt Lake Tribune report<\/a>. Gamboa\u2019s friend and former roommate told the Tribune that Gamboa carried the gun not only for his own protection, but for the protection of other protesters in case counter-protesters showed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah Loo\u2019s widow, Laura Ah Loo, said in a news conference that the district attorney\u2019s decision to file a criminal charge against Alder represents \u201ca significant first step in the right direction [to] establish a precedent that I hope will lead to a safer environment of public gatherings in the future\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If convicted, Alder faces up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n