This past weekend was full of people being stupid. From the folks losing their minds over a parade–it was for the Army’s 250th birthday, not Trump’s birthday, for crying out loud–to assassinations in Minnesota, to a video of someone pulling a gun on a protestor for what was apparently not good reason, we have a lot of people being moronic.
And folks need to knock it the hell off.
One of the worst examples, other than the Minnesota situation, was in Salt Lake City, Utah.
There, someone reportedly pulled a rifle out of a bag. Someone else pulled a gun and opened fire. Someone who allegedly had nothing to do with it ended up dead.
An “innocent bystander” at the “No Kings” demonstration in downtown Salt Lake City was shot and killed Saturday, police said.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, of Utah, died in a hospital, Salt Lake City police said in an update.
Detectives believe Ah Loo was at the demonstration as a bystander and “was not the intended target of the gunfire.”
Police have arrested Arturo Gamboa, 24. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on a murder charge. It was not immediately clear whether Gamboa was still in jail Sunday and whether he has an attorney.
Also detained Saturday were two men who were part of the event “peacekeeping team.” One of the “peacekeepers” fired the shot that fatally injured Ah Loo, police said.
It was not immediately clear whether those two men will face charges.
The men told police they saw Gamboa move away from the crowd and begin manipulating an AR-15-style rife, prompting them to draw their guns and order him to drop the weapon, police said.
Instead, Gamboa ran into the crowd, holding his gun in “a firing position,” police said. In response, one of the “peacekeepers” fired three shots, one of which struck Gamboa and another which hit Ah Loo, according to police.
While it’s likely that the two “peacekeepers” were justified in using force to stop Gamboa, particularly since the weapon was in a firing position, the fact that an innocent person was shot and killed by one of them means there’s a high likelihood that they’re going to be charged as well.
When you fire a round, you’re responsible for where it goes. If you fire into a crowded environment, you could easily be on the hook if someone other than your target gets hit.
That said, it’s entirely possible that the DA will opt not to prosecute either of them because of the situation.
Still, if I were you, I wouldn’t bank on that.
“But Kyle Rittenhouse-“
Stop. Kyle Rittenhouse shot three people who were directly threatening him. He hit his targets and ended the threats. That’s why he walked on the charges against him. And remember, charges were filed against him. It’s not like he was able to escape prosecution, even if his case ended with a non-guilty verdict.
This is different since, again, someone who wasn’t involved was shot and killed.
There are still a ton of questions about what Gamboa’s alleged motivations and intentions were. I fear he was going to commit a mass shooting at the protest, but that’s just speculation on my part as, again, there’s no evidence one way or another beyond pulling out a rifle at the protest itself. I can’t imagine what else he was intending, but I suppose it’s possible he had something else in mind.
Regardless, this isn’t what we need to see. This isn’t how things should be handled.
The right to protest peacefully is just as important as the right to keep and bear arms. It’s one thing if the protests become riots and people are being threatened, such as Rittenhouse, but it’s quite another to just pull a gun during a peaceful protest, run from police, and present yourself as the threat.
I want to know what he was thinking and what his intentions were.
As for the “peacekeepers,” I won’t be surprised if the one who fired is prosecuted. I won’t be overly shocked if he’s not, though.
Read the full article here
