Key Takeaways
- Fairbanks police say Landon Lowrance, 22, pointed a revolver at his girlfriend, CloeRae McBrayer, 21, and fatally shot her while handling the weapon on Sept. 16.
- A friend called 911 and tried to keep Lowrance from reaching a second firearm, but Lowrance shot himself and later died; investigators have not determined whether he knew the revolver was loaded.
- McBrayer, an Alabama native recently accepted to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, was remembered by her mother as the bubbly “sunshine of the family,” while a fundraiser to return her body home raised more than $22,000.
A 21-year-old Alabama woman was fatally shot by her boyfriend inside a Fairbanks, Alaska, home last week after police say he pointed a revolver at her and pulled the trigger while “playing” with the weapon.
CloeRae McBrayer died following the Sept. 16 shooting at a residence on Bentley Drive, WOWT news reports. Her boyfriend, 22-year-old Landon Lowrance, later died from what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Fairbanks Deputy Chief Richard Sweet said Lowrance had been handling the revolver before pointing it toward McBrayer.
"...the boyfriend had actually pointed a firearm at his girlfriend and when he pulled the trigger, the firearm discharged... and she was shot," Sweet said during a briefing, according to Alaska's News Source.
Police responded to the home shortly after 9 p.m. after receiving a 911 call from one of Lowrance's friends, who reported that Lowrance had accidentally shot his girlfriend. Authorities said McBrayer, Lowrance, and the friend were the only three people inside the residence at the time.
Investigators believe there was one round inside the revolver's chamber when Lowrance pulled the trigger. McBrayer was reportedly speaking with another person on the phone when she was struck.
After the shooting, the friend attempted to prevent Lowrance from getting access to another firearm. Sweet said the two became involved in a "wrestling match" over the weapon, but the friend was unable to keep it away from Lowrance.
Lowrance then "discharged the firearm again on himself and eventually succumbed to those wounds," Sweet said.
Authorities have not determined whether Lowrance knew the revolver was loaded.
McBrayer, who was born and raised in Alabama, had recently been accepted to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she planned to pursue a degree in teaching. She also had an interest in cosmetology and design.
Her mother, Amanda Hooper, said her daughter's fear of firearms made the circumstances surrounding her death especially difficult to understand.
"I don't know why Landon was playing with a gun because CloeRae was terrified of guns," Hooper said.
Hooper remembered her daughter as the "All-American Girl" and someone who brought energy to those around her.
"She's the sunshine of the family. She'd love to be the center of attention. She's bubbly. She wants you to talk to everybody. She would sing. She helped everybody," Hooper said.
McBrayer and Lowrance reportedly met through a mutual friend, and according to Hooper, the couple had been discussing getting engaged the same weekend McBrayer was killed. Other relatives, including her grandmother Lesha McBrayer and aunt Nickie McBrayer, also paid tribute to her, with family members saying they had been preparing for a wedding.
A fundraiser created to help bring McBrayer's body back to Alabama for her funeral had raised more than $22,000 as of Friday. Staff members at the University of Alaska Fairbanks also offered to help cover Hooper's travel expenses if she needed to go to Alaska to identify her daughter.
