Celebrated photojournalist is stabbed to death by his teen son along a popular Los Angeles hiking trail, police say

A 19-year-old identified as Emir Lowe has been arrested for allegedly stabbing his 61-year-old father Paul Lowe

A renowned photojournalist was fatally stabbed and his 19-year-old son was taken into custody after a hike in the San Gabriel Mountains turned deadly over the weekend.

Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to a popular hiking trail near Stoddard Canyon Falls on October 12 where they found a man with “trauma to his upper torso” and a stab wound to his neck, LASD officials said in a news release.

The victim, later identified by friends as 61-year old Paul Lowe, an award-winning British photojournalist, who covered major world events including the siege of Sarajevo, was declared dead at the scene, KTLA reported.

Another man, who was seen speeding away from the scene crashed his car a few miles down the road, was identified as Lowe’s son, Emir Lowe, according to the LASD.

Emir was arrested on suspicion of murder for the killing of his father whose cause of death was ruled a stab wound to the neck, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

The son’s motive for the alleged murder remains unknown. He is set to appear in court on Tuesday.

Paul Lowe, 61, was stabbed to death on October 12 (KTLA/Elton Koritari)

Lowe was a well-known photojournalist, a beloved professor and a mentor to many, according to Prishtina Insight. His work has been featured in The Independent, Time, Newsweek, The Sunday Times Magazine and The Observer.

Condolences and tributes from friends, colleagues and even strangers from around the world began pouring in following the news of his death.

Ika Ferrer Gotić, a senior international news producer and anchor at CNN and editor-in-chief at Forbes, wrote in a tweet she met Lowe in 2019 when they spent time “unpacking forgotten war crime in Sarajevo and Bijeljina.”

“We lost more than a photographer when #PaulLowe passed away,” she added. “We lost a witness to our history, a storyteller who showed the world the truths that many wished to ignore. His lens captured more than the horrors of war; it captured the resilience, the survival, the humanity of #Sarajevo at its darkest moment.”

Man, this one's gonna be a tough one. Losing a friend and our adopted Bosnian cuts deep. I met Paul in 2019. when we worked on a broadcast project together, unpacking forgotten war crimes in Sarajevo and Bijeljina. This is for you, Paul! | @paullowe

We lost more than a… pic.twitter.com/H9rK7t3JJ6

— Ika Ferrer Gotić (@IkaFerrerGotic) October 14, 2024

Lara Jo Regan, a colleague of Lowe’s and a fellow photojournalist, told KTLA that Lowe told her he was in Southern California to manage some family matters. They had plans to meet up but several days went by and she never heard from him.

“I went on Facebook, and I was going to DM him to see what was up,” she said. “Then, the first thing that came up was news of his passing posted on his agency’s website in New York. I was beyond shocked. I’m still kind of shocked.”

Regan first met Lowe at the World Press Photo of the Year exhibition 24 years ago.

“We had some great, interesting, stimulating and inspiring conversations about photography,” she said. “I just think it’s the effect he had on many people, both students and colleagues. He had a real generosity of spirit.”

“I just want him to know that his spirit will live on through those pictures and many others that he’s taken,” she added.