THE heartbreaking last post of a fashion designer who was shot and killed at a protest last weekend has been revealed.
Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, known as Afa, discussed the importance of gratitude and community in an interview just days before becoming an innocent victim of a fatal shooting at a No Kings protest on Saturday night.
At the age of 39, Ah Loo was struck by a stray bullet, allegedly fired by a “peacekeeping” volunteer at the national protest, according to police reports. He later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
He had no connection to the gunman and was “not the intended target of the gunfire,” according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Ah Loo, a father of two, was best known as a Samoan fashion designer who competed on Season 17 of Project Runway.
He finished in 13th place in 2019.
Mere days prior to the tragic incident, Ah Loo appeared in a video interview posted on Facebook, smiling and speaking about the connection between his Pacific Islander heritage and his career.
“Our people are very creative people,” he said in the video interview by PacifikaByDesign.
“Now that we’re here… Why don’t we pull our people up with us and work together to make a name for ourselves and our people?
“It is difficult to work in spaces that you don’t normally see our people in. But it is with grit and perseverance that we can get to where we are.
“We’re slowly making our way there. We’re still learning. We’re grateful for people that have sacrificed their time and talents to help us.”
