A 21-year-old American footballer has been killed in a shooting which took place during a house party in the Salt Lake City late on Saturday night – just hours after his team, Utah, beat Washington State.
Salt Lake Police announced on Sunday that highly-rated defensive player Lowe was one of two people shot at around midnight local time while he was celebrating his team’s 24-13 against the Cougars on Saturday.
Lowe was pronounced dead soon afterwards while the other victim, an adult female, is understood to be in critical condition.
No arrests have yet been made yet over the incident, which took place in the Sugar House area.
Abby and I mourn with our @UUtah family and friends at the tragic passing of Aaron Lowe this morning. Our prayers are with his family at this terribly difficult time.
“These investigations are complex. Our detectives have been hard at work trying to identify the suspect or suspects in this case,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown of the investigation.
The Mesquite, Texas native was a prominent defensive back for the Utah Utes after he was recruited to the famous college football program as one of the top-rated safety prospects in the United States before he converted to cornerback.
He had appeared in each of the Utes’ first four games of the season – and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said that Lowe’s absence will be sorely felt.
“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,” said Whittingham in a statement.
“Aaron was a great teammate, friend, brother and son and was loved by anyone who crossed paths with him. He will be deeply missed.”
Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, has also spoken of his sorrow at Lowe’s passing. “[We] mourn with our [University of Utah] family and friends at the tragic passing of Aaron Lowe this morning,” he said. “Our prayers are with his family at this terribly difficult time.”
Lowe’s passing comes just months after he was named as the recipient of Utah’s Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to a player who embodies a spirit of “work ethic, positivity and perseverance through adversity“.
The scholarship was named after former Utah running back Jordan, who was killed on Christmas Day 2020 at the age of 19 in what police called an accidental shooting.
Both Lowe and Jordan attended West Mesquite High School in Texas and Lowe had changed his shirt number to ’22’ this season in honor of his former teammate.
Extinction Rebellion organizers have claimed that “history will vindicate” a Paralympic hero after he was sentenced to a year in jail for holding up a flight in a climate protest stunt in the UK.
Northern Ireland-born James Brown glued his hand to an Amsterdam-bound British Airways aircraft in October 2019 as part of the group’s takeover of London City Airport, explaining at the time that he felt “compelled” to bring about “radical change”.
The champion for Britain in the B3 800 metres and 1500m at the 1984 Games spent an hour on the aircraft before being removed.
Visually-impaired Brown, 56, was estimated by prosecutors to have cost the airline around $55,000 and will reportedly serve at least six months in prison.
“I was compelled to do what I did because of my concerns for the future of my children. We all know the catastrophe that awaits them… We also know that nonviolent civil disobedience have proved itself… to bring radical change”, Paralympian, Rebel and hero James Brown. pic.twitter.com/5hPcf7kTlO
“To put a partially blind man in jail, while the [UK] prime minister [Boris Johnson] quotes Kermit the Frog to the UN and recruits the [cartoon litter-pickers] Wombles as the [climate change conference] COP26 mascots, shows what a mockery our leaders are making of this moment,” responded the group, which invited people to protest outside London’s HMP Wandsworth, where Brown is incarcerated, on Sunday.
“History will vindicate him just as it vindicated past activists who went to prison after non-violently fighting for a just cause.
“If enough people do something like what James Brown did, then there will be a future.”
Brown represented himself at his trial in July, when he denied one count of causing a public nuisance and admitted he felt he had wanted “to do something spectacular” to highlight the climate crisis.
A jury deliberated for less than an hour before delivering a guilty verdict on the former GB cyclist and athletics star, who also competed in cross-country skiing for Ireland.
“The right to protest does not entitle you to cause major widespread disruption to a major airport… simply because you think it is the right thing to do,” the BBC reported Judge Gregory Perrins to have told Brown.
Tonight at 8pm, outside HMP Wandsworth where James Brown is serving time for his action, and across the UK in Bath, Malvern, Birmingham, Leicester, St Ives, Barnstable, Norwich we are coming together to say #FreeJamesBrown. If you can't join in person, please tweet in support. pic.twitter.com/zv9hJSgR8i
“This is a case in which you acted together with at least 10 other activists to plan and execute a major act of disruption.
“You intended to cause the maximum amount of disruption possible at the airport, if not shut it down completely.”
Representing Brown at his sentencing hearing, Tim Maloney QC said the former athlete “has expressed an intention not to become involved in unlawful protest again.”
Brown is said to be the first UK protester from the group to receive a custodial sentence. He has also reportedly been fined around $4,785.
A politician has voiced his surprise that Ukrainians keen to watch arguably the greatest moment of their country’s sporting year had to do so on Russian TV.
While newly-crowned heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk shut out three-belt king Anthony Joshua in London, TV channels in his homeland dealt a low blow to boxing fans by failing to broadcast the thrilling scrap.
That meant that Usyk’s compatriots could not join the huge crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – and the vast audience around the world – in seeing their latest boxing great score a huge win that was shown on pay-per-view TV in the UK.
“Almost the entire population of Russia was worried and rooted for Usyk,” said Dmitry Svishchev, a member of the Federal Assembly of Russia, speaking to Sport Express.
“[Everyone in] Simferopol… was rooting for him, since he is from there. I am surprised that Usyk went out to battle with the banner of Ukraine and songs in the Ukrainian language.
“It is all the more surprising that the fight was not shown on Ukrainian television. All Ukrainians who wanted to see the fight watched on the Russian channel.”
The outlet suggested that, alongside the national football team’s advancement to the quarterfinals of Euro 2020 in June and July, the fight had been the “main sporting event for Ukraine this year”.
Former cruiserweight Usyk produced an immensely accomplished performance to comprehensively beat British superstar Joshua on the scorecards, earning high praise from prominent figures in Ukraine who may have watched the bout on Russian channel Ren, which showed it for free.
Eddie: “Can’t wait to announce Joshua vs Fury. I wonder how many PPV buys it does?”
“We all did not sleep, we all did not doubt, we all did not hold back our emotions,” responded Volodymyr Zelensky, the country’s president. “A difficult but therefore even more valuable victory. Bravo, champion.”
Manchester City and Ukraine wideman Oleksandr Zinchenko added that “there are no words” to do justice to the sensational victory. “Simply the best,” he concluded on Instagram.
Usyk extended his perfect professional career record to 19 wins with the triumph in front of well over 60,000 people.
The 34-year-old had not been considered as magnetic a ticket-seller as established poster boy Joshua, only to prove that he deserves more blockbuster nights among the elite after collecting the WBA Super, WBO, IBF and IBO titles.
Top Ukrainian tennis star Elina Monfils let her fans know that she was watching the fight on US channel DAZN, adding an animation of the national flag she shares with Usyk as she saw him prevail.
A football club turned the away end of their stadium into a “concentration camp” by penning fans behind a fence, an opposition team has angrily claimed.
In a volatile match on Sunday, Persha Liga side Kryvbas kept fans of visitors Metalist behind bars when they traveled to the city of Kryvyi Rih to watch their side’s 5-0 win.
Flares were let off and a pitch invasion reportedly took place at one point, with footage appearing to show large groups of supporters carrying banners outside before the emphatic victory for the league leaders.
Former UEFA Cup entrants Metalist shared photos of their players celebrating with fans afterwards and issued a statement saying they felt the “deepest regret and disappointment” over the “decision to lock the fans of our team in a cage”.
“[It] demonstrated disregard not only for the Kharkiv fans, but for the whole of the football community.
“In the modern world, such a step has long been considered a violation of ethics, morality and the rights of free citizens. Turning a guest rostrum into a concentration camp is low and ugly.
“We ask the [governing bodies] UAF, PFL and colleagues in the development of Ukrainian football to pay attention to this outrageous episode, to give a legal assessment of the actions of Kryvbas and to consider not to repeat such outrageous incidents in the future.”
The scenes follow an investigation into a mass brawl which marred a game at Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev last week.
Євген Підлепенець: «Шкода, що наших уболівальників закрили за парканом. Присвячуємо цю перемогу їм»
After emotionally claiming that she did not know when she would play again earlier this month, Naomi Osaka has declared that she has “that itch” and could return soon.
The despondent four-time major winner broke down in tears after being knocked out by then-world number 73 Leylah Fernandez at the US Open, losing in the third round a year after winning the title.
After a difficult season in which she hit the headlines for withdrawing from the French Open on mental health grounds after boycotting press duties, Osaka has now starred on a US TV show, HBO’s ‘The Shop’, which is produced by NBA legend LeBron James.
“It was a bit weird because after I won the US Open that first time [in 2018], I had to immediately play another tournament, so I didn’t really have to face the business stuff until the end of the year,” Osaka said of her whirlwind 12 months, appearing on the program alongside actress Wanda Sykes, rapper Jadakiss and James’ ex-teammate and fellow All-Star Kevin Love.
“And by then, I was just so happy to be getting deals and stuff. I also felt like I didn’t compromise my integrity that much at all – although I would say it’s a bit wild when you feel like people start knowing who you are overnight over one event. It’s honestly taken me two years to adjust from that.”
Those business deals made the Japanese hero the highest-earning female athlete in a year of all time, raking in an estimated $60 million to 2021 as part of a period when Osaka says she felt “overwhelmed” at times.
“I want to feel like I’m playing for myself,” she said of her plans for her future now. “And I started to feel like that power was being taken away from me in the way that I felt like I wasn’t playing to make myself happy and I was more concerned about if I won or lost, what would people say about me.
“I just used to love like the competition and just being competitive. You know, I’ve been playing tennis since I was three years old; for sure, I love the sport.
“I know I’m going to play again. Probably soon, because I kind of have that itch again, but it wouldn’t really matter to me if I won or lost.
“I’d just have the joy of being back on the court, just to… know that I’m doing it for myself.”
Currently the world number eight, Osaka said she is grateful for the influence late NBA icon Kobe Bryant had on her, as well as voicing her admiration for 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.
“I always feel like if there was a younger player that ever needed any advice from me, I would love to give it,” she hoped.
“I would want people to remember me like how I acted toward people and how I interacted. For example, Serena? Her legacy is more than being Serena.
“I started playing because of her – I’m sure there’s so many girls that started playing because of her. She literally built champions. And I think passing it down is how the new generation gets inspired.”
Osaka enjoys using social media – including an Instagram account with almost three million followers – to broadcast her taste for fashion, including an eye-catching outfit for the recent Met Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The darker side of the platforms, she warned, has “given people the chance to say things that they would never say to you in person.”
“I feel like it just gives people access to you in a way that, I feel like, a couple of years ago, people would have to come up to you to affect you that way,” the 23-year-old added.
