Protester Killed in Utah Was Beloved Fashion Designer

The protester who was fatally shot at a Utah "No Kings" rally on Saturday has been identified as Arthur Folasa "Afa" Ah Loo, 39. The fashion designer competed on Project Runway in 2019, TMZ reports. He was being remembered as a person committed to doing "good things for his neighbors and community," Utah state Rep. Verona Mauga tells the AP. She and Ah Loo both hailed from the small Samoan village of Lotopa. Another friend of Ah Loo's says his work was distinctive because of the way he combined modern looks with traditional Pacific Island attire and motifs, including indigenous Samoan flowers and a cloth made from Pacific Island tree bark. The two of them founded Create Pacific, an organization aimed at uplifting Pacific Islands artists.

Recently, Ah Loo designed an outfit worn by Auli'i Cravalho, who voices Moana in the Disney films, BuzzFeed reports. "As a Samoan fashion designer, Afa's creations are and remain thoughtful, elegant and powerful portrayals of Pacific culture," she wrote after his death. "I am still amazed to have worn his custom designs for the most significant event of my career; the world premiere of Moana 2." Ah Loo was apparently in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was struck by a bullet fired by one of two "peacekeepers" at the event, who were aiming at another man with a rifle. That man has been arrested on murder charges. Ah Loo leaves behind a wife and two young children, according to two GoFundMe campaigns for his family. (More No Kings stories.)