SALT LAKE CITY (KSL) – Hours after a protest turned into mayhem, some of the marchers returned to downtown Salt Lake City to pay their respects to a man they never knew.
On Saturday, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo was shot and killed during the “No Kings” protest.
“We all need to like, definitely process this in our own way and hopefully come together,” protestor Kim said.
Utah State Rep. Verona Mauga said she knew Ah Loo well.
“Afa and I refer to each other as family,” she said.
Mauga was with Ah Loo at the “No Kings” rally in Pioneer Park.
“Afa is a person who believed in equity and equality for all people,” she said.
Mauga said she was not with him when the shooting occurred.
“Everyone went running,” she said.
When Ah Loo failed to check in with his friends, they all knew something had gone wrong.
“It was a great time until it wasn’t. There was a terrible act of violence,” Mauga said.
The 39-year-old father and renowned fashion designer from Samoa just recently became an American citizen.
“He wanted to be very much a part of what America is and a part of the American dream,” Mauga said.
Ah Loo competed on Project Runway, but Mauga said he was always willing to make clothes for the people in his life.
“If he knew that I was going to a gala or a ball, he would call me up and say, ‘Hey, come to my studio,’ and take my measurements and design me a gown,” she said.
Ah Loo also led workshops, teaching others how to sew.
“He brought joy and laughter to the community, and he shared his art and his talents so freely with people,” Mauga said.
Mauga said she is now thinking of Ah Loo’s family.
“He was a husband and a father of two beautiful children who cared about people and cared about community,” she said.
A GoFundMe was created to help support Ah Loo’s family.
As of Tuesday, more than $380,000 has been raised.
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