‘The world is watching’: Afa Ah Loo’s widow calls for accountability

Four months after the tragic death of Sāmoan fashion designer and Pacific community advocate Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo, his widow, Laura Ah Loo, has announced her plans to pursue legal action and calls for structural reform in response to what she describes as multiple layers of failure.

Afa was known for his appearance on the reality TV fashion series, Project Runway, and for co-founding the non-profit Creative Pacific Foundation.

He was fatally shot during the “No Kings" protest held on 14 June in Salt Lake City, Utah. The march, which drew thousands of participants, turned chaotic after gunfire erupted after 4pm New Zealand Time.

The Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) says in a statement that 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa was found with a gunshot wound and an assault rifle nearby. Two other men, members of a self-described peacekeeping group wearing neon vests and carrying handguns, were detained.

Investigators believe one of these men fired three rounds after Gamboa raised his rifle towards the crowd. One bullet struck Gamboa, and another “tragically wounded Afa”.

No charges have been filed in the case.

Arthur "Afa" Folasa Ah Loo at the Salt Lake City No Kings protest. Photo/Afa Ah Loo/Facebook

During the press conference in Salt Lake City, Laura called for accountability, saying that her husband’s death resulted from “individual, organisational, and systemic failures”.

“Responsibility means those who organise and oversee public gatherings must prioritise transparency, preparation, and the well-being of all participants - not convenience or ease.

“He believed in justice, compassion, and the power of people coming together to effect change for good,” she says about her husband. “Afa believed that everyone, no matter their background, their status, or their story, deserved to be seen, heard, and loved.”

Afa was widely admired in creative circles across the United States and the Pacific region for his advocacy and inclusivity.

“Staying silent would be easier. But silence won’t bring him back, and silence won’t protect the next family from getting the kind of call that shattered my world,” Laura says.

Her remarks echo her late husband’s motto: “Feel the fear and do it anyway”, adding, “That’s what he always said…and that’s what I’m doing today.

In a statement, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill expressed condolences to the Ah Loo aiga and confirmed that his office is conducting a careful, complex, and nuanced legal analysis. He indicated that a decision about charges may be forthcoming, but no timeline has been provided.

Afa Ah Loo with his wife, Laura, and their two children. Photo/Utah News Dispatch

Laura’s legal team includes attorneys Jim McConkie and Brian Stewart of Parker McConkie LLP. McConkie criticised the lack of transparency from the city and event organisers, citing difficulties in obtaining basic permit records related to the protest. He says the family has not received major updates for several months despite Utah law entitling victims to significant developments.

Richard Lambert, a former prosecutor and member of Ah Loo’s legal team, says he has never seen a “situation of this magnitude” in which the alleged shooter has not been publicly identified.

“This is not a ‘who done it?’ We know who did it,” Lambert says. “One of the foundation principles of criminal justice is the old adage, ‘justice delayed is justice denied’.”

Stewart says in his statement, “Nothing can restore Arthur to his children, his spouse, his community. But this family deserves clarity. They deserve accountability. They deserve the assurance that reforms will prevent what happened to Afa from happening again.”

For Laura and their two young children, grief fuels a desire for institutions to recognise that the right to gather and protest must go hand-in-hand with obligations, accountability, and respect for human life.

Laura says her intention behind the lawsuit is not solely about liability, but about changing priorities during protests and public gatherings. “We all deserve to be protected by responsible policies, organisations, and safeguards that prevent senseless and avoidable violence in public spaces.

“He touched lives across so many communities and I’ve felt the ripple of his absence in every single one of them,” her voice breaking.

“The sign he was peacefully holding that day read, ‘The world is watching’. His reach was and still is worldwide. The world is watching the action in response to the senseless and irresponsible injustice that he never deserved.

“Afa always stood for those who needed justice the most and now I stand for him.”