Son of famous war photographer charged in fatal knife attack in California

Emir Abadzic Lowe, the 19-year-old son of award-winning war photographer Paul Lowe, was charged Tuesday with his father’s murder after the 60-year-old was found stabbed to death on a California hiking trail, authorities confirmed in a news release.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said local officers responded to the scene of the accident around 3:28 p.m. Saturday and found the photojournalist suffering from “trauma to the upper body” on Mount Baldy Road, a scenic area near Stoddard Canyon Falls in the San Gabriel Mountains.

First responders pronounced the British native dead at the scene; According to the New York Times, the Los Angeles County coroner has since determined that he was stabbed in the neck.

An initial press release on Saturday said a white male was seen “driving away from the scene” before causing a “sole traffic accident” a few miles down the road and was “pending further investigation.” been arrested.

“Based on the evidence at the scene and statements from the son and witness, the son was arrested and charged with murder at the San Dimas Station,” the Sheriff’s Department confirmed in an update.

The 19-year-old is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday at the West Covina Courthouse, authorities told People.

Amra Abadzic Lowe, Paul Lowe’s widow, told the Times that her son has struggled with his mental health over the past year and has been hospitalized several times for psychosis.

She said her husband traveled to the US to persuade Emir to return to the UK after the teenager left on a short trip and stayed for months.

Abadzic Lowe added that she spoke to her husband just minutes before the stabbing as he and her son got out of the car to enjoy the view.

She said Emir seemed calm at the time, but mental health issues made it difficult “to know what was going on in a person’s brain.”

“We were obviously very nervous about the whole situation,” Abadzic Lowe told the Times.

Paul Lowe’s courageous work has covered major events around the globe, including the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990, the Russian invasion of Grozny in Chechnya (1994), and the siege of Sarajevo in 1995 during the Bosnian War.

His work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, Life and The Sunday Times Magazine.

Paul Lowe, a scholar in the history and ethics of photography at the London College of Communication at the University of the Arts London, was also a contributing photographer to the VII Foundation, which honored his life with his portrait in an Instagram post on Monday.

“It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our dear friend and colleague Paul Lowe, whose brilliant life came to an abrupt end on Saturday in Los Angeles, California,” the foundation wrote. “Paul was a brave and beloved comrade and a deeply devoted father and husband.”

“The loss is shocking and overwhelming and our condolences go out to his wife and family.”

If you or someone you know needs help, call 988, text or chat with 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside the United States, please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.