Arturo Gamboa speaks to the public for the first time after SLC No Kings shooting

The man who carried a rifle — but did not fire it — during the June “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City in which a protester was killed spoke publicly for the first time, saying he’s been “lambasted on an international scale.” “The only thing I was doing was engaging in my First and Second Amendment rights,” Arturo Gamboa, 24, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday. Gamboa, who was initially treated as a suspect after the shooting, should have been treated as a victim, according to his attorney, Greg Skordas. Skordas told reporters Gamboa suffered a shot to the back, while another bullet grazed his finger. A third shot fired hit and killed another marcher, fashion designer Arthur Folasa “Afa” Ah Loo. Gamboa, 24, expressed condolences to Ah Loo’s family. “I pray for their healing,” he said. “I hope God replaces their pain and grieving with feelings of remembrance.” Dressed in a black leather jacket and beret, Gamboa’s outfit at Tuesday’s news conference matched the revolutionary tone of his comments. Several supporters, including his mother and a handful of friends, sat among the reporters. Occasionally, his supporters snapped their fingers in solidarity as he recounted what he had been through and explained his leftist ideology. Reporting: Brock Marchant Video: Trevor Christensen The Salt Lake Tribune