Police investigating ‘several’ leads into SLC shooting that killed a Utah football player & critically injured a woman
Sep 27, 2021, 10:51 AM | Updated: 2:32 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Detectives with the Salt Lake City Police Department are investigating “several potential promising leads” into the shooting that killed University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe and critically injured a woman over the weekend.
The shooting occurred early Sunday morning at a house party in the 2200 block of Broadmoor Street in Sugar House.
Police said they received at least six noise disturbance calls about the party Saturday night, and a neighbor said at least 100 people were at the party and spilling onto the street, blocking the area.
“My roommate and I walked up and down the street, trying to see if the cops would come, if just the flashing lights would disperse the people from the party that was going on, but they never came,” said the neighbor, who asked to not be identified due to safety concerns.
SLCPD spokesperson Brent Weisberg said officers were responding to several in-progress emergencies and multiple higher-priority calls when the noise disturbance calls were received.
Noise disturbance calls can vary from noise in a neighborhood to house parties or gatherings, and police see more of those calls during the spring, summer and fall months, and they can stack up. Weisberg said officers focus on in-progress emergencies when noise disturbances are dispatched.
“We’ve had dedicated patrols who are specifically focused on noise complaints, and even when we had those dedicated patrol officers who were specifically focused on noise complaints, there would always usually be a backlog,” Weisberg said. “Typically we can have up to several dozen noise complaints on any given weekend.”
He added it was a separate 911 call that indicated there was a fight with a weapon at the party, which elevated the incident and officers immediately responded to the area.
It was a chaotic scene. Police had reports of 100 or more people at that party. They are talking to numerous witnesses. Witnesses may be fearful about coming forward police say. The DA’s office will not tolerate intimidation or witness tampering.
— Tamara Vaifanua (@TamaraVaifanua) September 27, 2021
Weisberg said the department, as of Sept. 13, had 51 vacancies.
The neighbor KSL TV spoke with said things escalated and shots were fired around 12:20 a.m. Sunday.
Police said they suspect uninvited guests arrived at the party, and a fight broke out after they were asked to leave. Lowe and a woman, who has not been identified by authorities, were shot.
Lowe was pronounced dead at the scene while the woman was hospitalized in critical condition. Police said she was in critical but stable condition as of Monday morning.
Weisberg thanked community members who have helped in the investigation and asked for anyone who might have seen something at the party to contact police.
He said the department will protect anyone who is worried about possible witness intimidation or tampering, and police will pursue charges against anyone involved in such activity through the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
“Our No. 1 priority right now is seeking justice in this case,” Weisberg said. “We don’t want anyone to be fearful for coming forward.”
Weisberg said police do not currently have any information regarding a suspect or any suspects in the investigation. Police said they are still investigating who hosted and who was invited to the party, along with how many people attended the event.
A GoFundMe* account has been established for Lowe’s funeral expenses. The account had raised almost $19,000 as of Monday morning with several donations of $22, matching the number Lowe wore for Utes. Lowe switched from No. 2 to 22 in honor of teammate and close friend Ty Jordan, who died from an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound last December.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
