Trials
A Utah judge ordered Matthew Scott Alder to stand trial for manslaughter in Afa Ah Loo's No Kings protest death.
On Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, Third District Judge Derek Williams found probable cause and ordered Matthew Scott Alder, 43, of Murray, to stand trial on second-degree felony manslaughter after a preliminary hearing in Salt Lake City. KSL and Utah News Dispatch reported Alder's attorney Neal Hamilton entered a not-guilty plea. Pretrial conference is Dec. 11.
By Crime Talk Network Staff Writer ·
A bindover after a preliminary hearing means the judge found enough evidence to send the case to trial. It is not a conviction. Prosecutors say Alder, an armed security volunteer at the June 14, 2025 No Kings protest, fired three shots toward a man with a rifle and that one shot killed Arthur "Afa" Ah Loo, 39. Alder pleaded not guilty. Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill declined charges against the rifle carrier, Arturo Gamboa.
KSL and Utah News Dispatch reported that on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, Third District Judge Derek Williams ordered Matthew Scott Alder to stand trial for manslaughter, a second-degree felony, after a preliminary hearing. Utah News Dispatch, citing Salt Lake County District Attorney spokesperson Keith Chalmers, reported the ruling at the end of the hearing. KSL reported Williams said there was enough evidence that Alder's firing led to someone's death and that he acted recklessly, and that at this stage the court must take inferences in favor of the state.
Ah Loo, 39, was a recent U.S. citizen and Samoan fashion designer who had appeared on Project Runway, Utah News Dispatch and KSL reported. Coverage places the shooting at the June 14, 2025 No Kings protest and march in Salt Lake City. Prosecutors allege Alder fired three shots toward Arturo Gamboa, who was carrying a rifle, and that one shot struck Ah Loo. KSL reported Salt Lake City police officer Bradley Shupe testified cellphone video showed Ah Loo fall after the third shot, and that the bullet recovered at autopsy looked nearly pristine. Defense attorney Neal Hamilton argued the three rounds are accounted for (Gamboa's side, Gamboa's gun, a gate box) and that any hit on Ah Loo may have been a ricochet, and that Alder aimed at Gamboa. Hamilton said they will raise self-defense later. Deputy Salt Lake County attorney Josh Graves argued Alder should have known a backstop matters when firing into a crowd.
Utah News Dispatch reported Alder told investigators he believed he saw a man loading a rifle and thought a mass shooting was about to begin. Other security volunteers testified Gamboa looked extremely suspicious. Salt Lake City District Attorney Sim Gill declined to charge Gamboa, saying openly carrying a firearm is lawful in Utah and there was no evidence Gamboa violated the law. Ah Loo's widow has a pending civil suit. Alder returns Dec. 11 for a pretrial conference. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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