Utah football player Aaron Lowe shot to death at house party after he adopted jersey number of teammate killed last year

UTAH football player Aaron Lowe was fatally shot at a Salt Lake City house party early on Sunday – less than a year after his friend and teammate Ty Jordan was killed in an accidental shooting.

The pair were high school teammates in Mesquite, Texas, and many credited Lowe, 21, for persuading Jordan, 19, to join the Utes after he decommitted from the school.

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Utah football player Aaron Lowe was fatally shot in Salt Lake City early on Sunday[/caption]

The death of Lowe – who switch jersey numbers from No. 2 to No. 20 in honor of his friend – was confirmed by Utah coach Kyle Whittingham in a statement.

Whittingham said: “We are devastated to hear about the passing of Aaron Lowe.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Aaron’s family and friends, along with the other individual who was harmed in this tragic incident.

FRIEND HONORED

“Aaron was a great teammate, friend, brother and son and was loved by anyone who crossed paths with him. He will be deeply missed.”

According to Salt Lake Police, Lowe was shot at a house part in the city’s Sugar House neighborhood.

An unidentified woman is also in a critical condition at a local hospital.

Police first received a noise complaint for the house party around 10:30pm local time on Saturday night.

They then received a second call at 12:20am, which related to a fight involving a weapon.

As of Sunday afternoon, no arrests had been made.

Lowe, a defensive back, was in his third season Utah.

HIGH SCHOOL TEAMMATES

He had appeared in all of the team’s first four games of the seasons – including Saturday’s win over Washington State.

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement: “Aaron was a terrific young man, a leader on our football team, and a rock of resiliency and courage.

“We have been in communication with Aaron’s family and we are providing support to them, as well as to the student-athletes, coaches and staff in all of our athletics programs, and our focus will remain on them.”

TEAM ‘LEADER’

In December 2020, Lowe’s friend, Ty Jordan, who was voted Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, was killed in an accidental shooting.

Last month, Lowe was voted the first recipient of the Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship.

After receiving the honor, Lowe said: “Ty made everyone around him better.

“He made me better. My friendship with Ty means a lot because he was always pushing me to be my best. He never let me settle for less. I want to make sure his legacy lives on through me.”