The teenage son of a famous photojournalist is charged with stabbing death

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A photojournalist who covered world events including the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, the fall of the Berlin Wall and Nelson Mandela’s release from prison was fatally stabbed while on a weekend hike in the San Gabriel Mountains and his 19-year-old son has been charged with the murder.

Paul Lowe, 60, a British photographer, war journalist and professor at the University of the Arts London, suffered “upper body trauma” and was pronounced dead on a road near Stoddard Canyon Falls on Saturday, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s office said Angeles County in a news release.

The county medical examiner’s office said Lowe died of a stab wound to the neck.

A man later identified as Lowe’s son was seen driving away and was involved in a solo car accident a few miles away. Based on evidence at the scene, coupled with statements from the son and witnesses, he was arrested, the sheriff’s office said.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which has filed one murder charge against the son, Emir Abadzic Lowe, said first responders were called to the scene by a passerby.

The office did not say whether he had an attorney.

Paul Lowe was professor of conflict, peace and image at the London College of Communication of the University of the Arts, according to the website. The university has been ‘a highly valued colleague’ for more than twenty years.

“Paul’s work throughout his career has had a groundbreaking impact in the representation of war and conflict and later in the complex cultural negotiations involved in peace and reconciliation work,” the university said in a statement. “Paul leaves behind an incredible legacy as an award-winning photographer, author, critic and, last but not least, as a truly compassionate teacher.”

His book ‘Bosnians’ documented ten years of war and the post-war situation in Bosnia. It was published in 2005. More recent books include “Photography Masterclass,” “Understanding Photojournalism,” “Reporting the Siege of Sarajevo” and “Photography, Bearing Witness and the Yugoslav Wars, 1988-2021,” according to the website.

In an interview with The Guardian, Lowe said that during the first days of the siege of Sarajevo, he focused on victims and hospital patients. Ultimately, he became preoccupied with what happens to people when they are “reduced to the medieval conditions caused by a siege.”

“People would risk their lives for a little fun,” he said. “And it can be very difficult for children, who obviously don’t want to stay indoors. During quieter periods they were able to go outside more. I took a photo of children swimming in the river during a truce. But the river, like much of the city, was clearly visible to Serbian snipers. One winter I witnessed a horrible scene: a group of five or six children had been killed by a shell while they were sledding in front of their house.”

He discussed a photo he took of a child on the street with a ball. “It’s a very normal thing for a child to do, but it happens against the backdrop of the tank trap, a hint of the ever-present danger,” he said.

Many people paid tribute to Lowe.

“Paul was a deeply talented, courageous and dedicated photojournalist who repeatedly put himself in harm’s way to show the world the reality of war zones and humanitarian crises around the world,” said Santiago Lyon, former vice president and director of photography at The Associated Press who worked with Lowe during the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s. “He subsequently became an experienced and respected educator dedicated to preparing future generations of photojournalists. His untimely death has had a profound impact on the photojournalism community and we are in shock.”

Lowe taught at an academy through The VII Foundation, which trains and equips journalists from communities underrepresented in the media.

‘Paul was a courageous and beloved comrade, and a very devoted father and husband. The loss is shocking and overwhelming, and our thoughts go out to his wife and family,” the foundation wrote in a statement online.

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