Ahead of the “No Kings” rallies across Utah on June 14, we were staffed statewide — with journalists on the ground in St. George, Provo, Salt Lake, Moab and Logan.
Our coverage was humming throughout the day, with videos and photos and descriptions of festive gatherings coming in from all corners of the state. And all of it was shared right back out with you, on social media and sltrib.com.
Nobody offered the depth of coverage that we did, as fast as we did.
At the end of a long day, tragedy struck. At 7:56 p.m., shots were fired in downtown Salt Lake and Arthur “Afa” Ah Loo was tragically killed by a “peacekeeper.”
One of our visual journalists reported the shooting in a newsroom Slack channel at 7:58 p.m. Our story was updated minutes later, and countless times throughout the evening.
Our visual journalists were in roughly the same spot as the victim, and they ran toward him. In the days to come, our visual work helped us see who responded and where others were in relation to the shooter.
In the days since, we have sought to memorialize Afa Ah Loo, a father and local fashion designer. We have explained Utah’s open carry law, which allows attendees at a rally or a protest to carry in crowds. We spoke with friends of Arturo Gamboa — who was arrested on suspicion of murder and later released without being charged after a protest volunteer opened fire on him — about his attendance at previous protests. We have answered the question nearly everyone had: Why wasn’t the “peacekeeper” arrested that evening?
This shooting was followed by another roughly 24 hours later, this one killing three in West Valley City, including an 8-month-old baby. This is the new normal, and it is placing a tremendous toll upon survivors, families, friends and first responders.
As local journalists, we are on the ground every day. It’s not our job to sweep a story into a national narrative, but to do the work of sensemaking for local residents.
The “No Kings” shooting is a complicated and confusing story, and The Tribune’s role is to be a source of thorough and thoughtful information and context in this chaotic information state we live in.
I’m grateful to our journalists for their commitment to a difficult story, and I want to share with you what Senior Managing Editor Sheila McCann told the newsroom early the morning after. She was writing about our visual journalists:
“Their willingness to witness, to not look away, to document a traumatic night in our community with visual journalism more powerful than words was courageous and awe-inspiring.”
And I want to thank you for choosing to stay engaged when the news is tough. It is precisely at this point that we cannot look away.
We are your neighbors and your friends, and we pledge to continue to be here for you. We hope you’ll continue to be here for us.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Executive Editor Lauren Gustus.
Lauren Gustus is Executive Editor and CEO of The Tribune.
