Protester killed at Utah 'No Kings' rally was fashion designer from 'Project Runway'

The 39-year-old antheral shot and killed astatine a play “No Kings” protestation successful Salt Lake City was a palmy manner decorator and erstwhile “Project Runway” contestant who devoted his beingness to celebrating artists from the Pacific Islands.

Arthur Folasa Ah Loo was killed erstwhile a antheral who was believed to beryllium portion of a peacekeeping squad for the protest changeable astatine a idiosyncratic brandishing a firearm astatine demonstrators, accidentally striking Ah Loo. Ah Loo aboriginal died astatine the hospital, authorities said.

Detectives don’t yet cognize wherefore the alleged rifleman pulled retired a limb oregon ran from the peacekeepers, but they charged him with execution and accused him of creating the unsafe concern that led to Ah Loo’s death, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said astatine a Sunday quality conference.

Ah Loo leaves down his woman and 2 young children, according to a GoFundMe for his household that raised implicit $100,000 successful 48 hours.

The “self-taught” manner decorator calved successful Samoa, known to galore arsenic Afa, devoted his beingness to doing “the bully things for his neighbors and community," authorities Rep. Verona Mauga said.

Mauga was astatine the “No Kings Protest” a fewer blocks from wherever Ah Loo was shot. She said she lone had a consciousness that thing was incorrect erstwhile she saw the assemblage running.

As tragic arsenic his decease is, she said, Ah Loo would person been arrogant that his past moments were spent warring for what helium believed in.

“If Afa was going to spell retired immoderate different mode than earthy causes, it would beryllium lasting up for marginalized and susceptible communities and making definite that radical had a voice,” Mauga told The Associated Press connected Monday.

While helium wasn't typically overtly political, Ah Loo had a knack for connecting “culture and diverseness and service,” and bringing radical together, Mauga said.

Ah Loo was a co-founder of the nonprofit Create Pacific, which celebrates and uplifts artists from the Pacific Islands. He was moving connected an upcoming July manner amusement erstwhile helium died.

Ah Loo's vibrant enactment has earned galore accolades implicit the years. He was a contestant successful 2017 connected Bravo’s “Project Runway,” a world tv amusement wherever manner designers vie successful beforehand of personage judges to make runway looks connected choky deadlines.

Recently, Ah Loo designed a garment for the prima of the Disney Channel animated movie Moana 2, Hawaiian histrion Auliʻi Cravalho.

Cravalho wore the outfit, which combined accepted and modern aesthetics from her culture, to the film's reddish carpet premiere successful Hawaii past November.

“This was the archetypal clip I was truthful progressive successful helping to plan a customized look, and Afa surpassed what I had envisioned,” Cravalho told the mag astatine the time.

But not each of his enactment was high-profile, Mauga said.

Ah Loo would unpaid his clip and resources to tailor covering for radical who needed help, often refusing to fto radical compensate him for his work, Mauga said. Sometimes, Ah Loo would playfully knock the outfits the recently elected Democratic typical wore connected the run trail, and invitation her to his workplace truthful helium could marque her a caller acceptable of blazers. He would besides marque her dresses for events, sometimes conscionable connected a mates of hours notice.

“Afa was truthful overmuch a portion of the community,” she said.