SALT LAKE CITY — He’s a murder suspect who never fired a shot.
Arturo Gamboa, 24, remains at the Salt Lake County Jail, booked on suspicion of murder.
He has not been formally charged by prosecutors with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
Police say witnesses told them he was dressed in all black, carrying a rifle, eventually running toward the crowd while holding the weapon in a firing position.
A self-described “peacekeeper” shot three times at Gamboa. At least one of the bullets hit Gamboa in the side. Another bullet accidentally hit and killed a 39-year-old protester.
WATCH: ‘Peacekeeper’ under investigation for role in Salt Lake City protest shooting
‘Peacekeeper’ under investigation for role in Salt Lake City protest shooting
Friends of Gamboa told FOX 13 News that they don’t believe he ever brandished the weapon. Instead, they believe the shooting was a deadly miscommunication — someone overreacting because they saw Gamboa open-carrying.
Prior to this case, Gamboa was known in the community for being an activist and punk rocker.
Konrad Keele described Gamboa as a sweet kid, like a “son to him” in the punk-rock community.
“Arturo goes to a lot of protests — most of the protests,” Keele said. “From the videos I’ve seen, it looks like he was a young kid that went to a protest open-carrying, which he has done before. He understands weapons. He knows how to handle them… The gun was pointed at the ground, from all the videos I’ve seen.”
Gamboa was arrested one block away from the shooting. He ran from the peacekeeper and crouched with other protesters before police rolled him onto his stomach.
A FOX 13 News camera captured Gamboa with blood on his hands and a gunshot wound on his side as he was arrested by police. Gamboa emptied ammunition from his pockets. Police say he also had a gas mask. A witness grabbed his backpack before pointing him out to police.
FOX 13 News
“Man, I got shot, bro!” Gamboa yelled as he was wheeled away on a stretcher.
Keele said Gamboa has previously chosen not to open-carry, if instructed to do so by organizers of a protest.
Nevertheless, he believes Gamboa was simply trying to express his First Amendment and Second Amendment rights.
“Everyone’s scared when people open-carry. It’s not a super comfortable thing, but it’s not illegal and it’s not wrong, and I’m not one to condemn it,” Keele said. “There have been protests where people have asked [protesters] not to do that, and he didn’t do it.”
Two peacekeepers were also “taken into custody” but have not been charged.
The case is still under investigation. The Salt Lake City Police Department has declined to comment further.
Gamboa and other members of his band were interviewed for SLUG Magazine in May 2021.
“My name is Arturo Gamboa, pronouns he/him, and I’m the drummer for RADE,” he said in the interview.
Gamboa said he is the child of a Venezuelan migrant who came to the United States in the 1990s and that his mother is from Alabama.
“Half my family is very Mormon religious and comes from a line of military people,” he said. “The American system is a steam train that has always been fueled by black and brown bodies.”
During the interview, he described himself as “radicalized” and discussed how music helps him illustrate his frustrations with the United States of America.
“These systems need to be dismantled,” Gamboa said. “I remember a very significant point in my radicalization was being a young child and seeing the entirety of the murder of Trayvon Martin, and that really being the first time that it clicked fully… It was very clear that only white men were created equal, that really was just opening the floodgates truly for me to understand the true horrors of living in America and the American system.”
Gamboa also described listening to a punk-rock drummer encouraging fans of the music to “do something” instead of simply cheering.
“That really made a switch flip in my brain, and that was another integral part in the radicalization,” Gamboa said.
Prosecutors said charges would not be filed against Gamboa on Monday, but there may be an update later in the week. Under state law, he cannot be held indefinitely without charges.
Meanwhile, Gamboa’s friends and family are asking for people not to jump to conclusions.
“He’s someone I’m really proud to be friends with,” Keele said. “He’s always trying to do the right thing. He would never go into a crowd of people with harm or ill intent.”
Gamboa’s parents said they were heartbroken by the situation. They believe their son would not have wanted to hurt anyone, much less his fellow protesters. They are asking for privacy at this time.
