Shooting at Salt Lake City protest leaves 'innocent bystander' dead, police say

Salt Lake City protest shooting update

Salt Lake City's police chief gives an update on a shooting at Saturday's "No Kings" march that left an "innocent bystander" dead.

Police in Salt Lake City are investigating a shooting during their "No Kings Day" march downtown that left an "innocent bystander" dead. 

An estimated 10,000 people were marching when the shooting occurred. The gunshots sent protesters running into churches, restaurants and parking garages for shelter. 

Salt Lake City protest shooting

What we know:

Police Chief Brian Redd said gunshots rang out shortly before 8 p.m. When officers arrived, they found one person shot on the ground.

The person who was shot, a 39-year-old man, was taken to a hospital in critical condition Saturday, but that person later died, police said Sunday. 

Police said marchers pointed out a 24-year-old man who was hiding in the crowd with a gunshot wound. The man, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa, had an AR-15 style rifle, a gas mask and a backpack. He was detained, treated for his gunshot wound and booked into jail on murder charges, police said.

Two other people in neon vests, "possibly part of the event's peace-keeping team," were also detained. Police said the men saw Gamboa separate from the crowd at one point during the march and pull out the rifle. As the two men confronted Gamboa, he raised the weapon, prompting one of the two men to fire three shots. One of those shots hit Gamboa, and one of them "tragically" hit the person who later died. 

Gamboa did not fire any shots, police said. 

"Our victim was not the intended target, but rather an innocent bystander participating in the demonstration,' Redd said.  

Salt Lake City skyline and Wasatch Mountain range with snow, Utah. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

What we don't know:

The motive and other details of the shooting have not yet been released. Redd said it was too early to tell if the shooting was politically motivated. 

What they're saying:

Redd said the shooting ruined what was otherwise a peaceful protest. 

"The event organizers worked closely with us at the Salt Lake City Department, Salt Lake here at Salt Lake City, and up until the point of the shooting, there was no indication of any problems," he said.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall described the violence as "horrific, and it is not who we are."

RELATED: Man drives into crowd of protesters at 'No Kings' rally in Virginia

Other "No Kings" incidents

In Culpepper, Virginia, police said one person was struck by an SUV when a 21-year-old driver intentionally accelerated his SUV into the crowd as protesters were leaving a rally. The driver was charged with reckless driving.

RELATED: Minnesota lawmaker shootings: Vance Boelter manhunt enters Day 2

In Minnesota, tens of thousands of people turned out for No Kings Day protests despite authorities urging them to stay home as they searched for the suspect who shot and killed a state lawmaker and her husband, and shot and injured another state lawmaker and his wife.