
Friends and family pay tribute to Aaron Lowe during a funeral service at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Friends and family pay tribute to Aaron Lowe during a funeral service at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Christopher Jackson, Aaron Lowe’s older brother, commemorates Aaron Lowe during a funeral at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Aaron Lowe’s mother, center, Donna Sterns, is comforted by her sons and Aaron’s brothers Adron, left, and Erin, right, during a funeral for Aaron at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021, in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Utah special teams coach Sharrieff Shah commemorates Aaron Lowe during a funeral at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

An official holds Aaron Lowe’s football helmet in his honor during a funeral at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Utah Athletic Director Mark Harlan commemorates Aaron Lowe during a funeral at the Family Cathedral of Praise on Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Friends and family pay tribute to Aaron Lowe during a funeral service at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

University of Utah President Taylor Randall commemorates Aaron Lowe during a funeral at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham commemorates Aaron Lowe during a funeral at the Family Cathedral of Praise, Monday, October 11, 2021 in Mesquite, Texas. Lowe, a student and football player at the University of Utah, was shot and killed on Sept. 26 at a post-match party.
Associated Press

Utah players observe a moment of silence in honor of slain teammate Aaron Lowe before an NCAA college football game against Southern California on Saturday, October 9, 2021 in Los Angeles.
Associated Press

FILE – Utah defensive back Aaron Lowe (2) appears in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., This Saturday, November 23, 2019, file photo. Police arrested a man early Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, in connection with the shooting death of Utah’s second cornerback Aaron Lowe. Murder detectives with the Salt Lake City Police Department found Buk M. Buk, 22, in Draper and charged him with charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder and felony of firing a firearm.
Associated Press

Utah players and coaches observe a moment of silence in honor of slain teammate Aaron Lowe before an NCAA football game against Southern California on Saturday, October 9, 2021 in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
MESQUITE, Texas – Utah football player Aaron Lowe was remembered as an optimist, role model and friend at his funeral Monday, and coach Kyle Whittingham announced that the school would withdraw Lowe’s number and establish a scholarship in his name.
Lowe’s coaches and teammates, Utah athletic staff, and the university president traveled from Salt Lake City to attend the Family Cathedral of Praise service in Lowe’s hometown east of Dallas. Inside the coffin, Lowe’s body was adorned with a white football uniform, including cleats, and a football was placed in his hands.
Lowe, 21, was fatally shot on Sept. 26 in Salt Lake City, hours after a victory over Washington State and nine months after Utes ran back, Ty Jordan died in an accidental shooting on Christmas Eve 2020.
Lowe and Jordan were friends and football teams at West Mesquite High before moving to Utah. Lowe switched his jersey number to Jordan’s No. 22 this season and was the first recipient of a memorial scholarship created in Jordan’s honor.
‘I loved Aaron Lowe just like everyone who came in contact with him,’ Whittingham said. ‘He had a big heart, big smile. His personality, every time he walked into a room, lit it up. He had that kind of charm and charisma. He approached life with clear eyes and a full heart. ‘
Athletic Director Mark Harlan said Lowe, a communications major, was a curious student who showed concern for everyone around him, especially for those younger than him.
‘Thank you for sharing him,’ Harlan said to Lowe’s family. ‘Thank you for letting him be a part of us in the time we had. Yes, we are withdrawing the number. It’s about Aaron and everything he did for us. ‘
Sharrieff Shah, Utes’ cornerback coach and special team coordinator, said Lowe was overflowing with kindness and was’ contagiously optimistic ‘. He said Lowe worked hard to qualify academically by graduating from high school and was an honorary student in Utah when he died.
Salt Lake City police on October 3 arrested 22-year-old Buk M. Buk in the shooting and booked him for charges of aggravated murder, attempted murder and felony of firing a firearm. Police Chief Mike Brown did not disclose a motive, but said the shooting was not a targeted attack on the university, its athletic department or Lowe, nor was it gang-related.
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