Alaska Man Accidentally Killed His Girlfriend While Playing With Revolver Before Committing Suicide

A 21-year-old Alabama woman was fatally shot by her 22-year-old boyfriend in Fairbanks, Alaska, after police said he was handling a revolver and pointed it at her before it discharged. The man later died by suicide, turning what investigators described as an accidental shooting into a double tragedy.

Fairbanks police received a 911 call at about 9:12pm on 16 September from a friend of Landon Lowrance, who reported that he had accidentally shot his girlfriend, CloeRae McBrayer, at a home on Bentley Drive. Investigators said Lowrance had been playing with the revolver when he pointed it towards McBrayer and fired.

McBrayer was on the phone with another person when she was shot, Deputy Chief Richard Sweet said. Investigators believe there was a single round in the revolver's chamber, although it remained unclear whether Lowrance knew the firearm was loaded.

After the shooting, the friend who called 911 tried to stop Lowrance from obtaining another firearm. Police said the two struggled, but the witness was unable to prevent Lowrance from shooting himself. He was taken to hospital but later died. Investigators said the caller was not believed to have been involved in either shooting.

Family Remembers McBrayer as 'The Sunshine'

McBrayer's death has left her family and friends mourning a young woman they described as outgoing, creative and deeply caring. Her mother, Amanda Hooper, said McBrayer was born and raised in Alabama and described her as the 'All-American Girl'.

'She's the sunshine of the family,' Hooper said. 'She's bubbly. She wants you to talk to everybody.'

Family members said McBrayer loved helping others and had a passion for creativity. She had pursued interests in cosmetology and design and was recently accepted to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to study teaching.

McBrayer had met Lowrance through a mutual friend. According to Hooper, she travelled to Fairbanks to visit him before deciding to move to Alaska. The couple had been discussing marriage and were reportedly planning to get engaged.

'We were planning their wedding,' McBrayer's older sister Lori Hunt said.

Hooper said her daughter had been afraid of guns, making the circumstances particularly difficult for the family to understand.

'I don't know why Landon was playing with a gun, because CloeRae was terrified of guns,' she said.

Fundraiser Launched To Return Body to Alabama

Friends of the family launched an online fundraiser to help pay for transporting McBrayer's body from Alaska to Alabama for her funeral. The campaign had raised more than $22,000 (£16,459.19) by Friday, according to the family's account. Hooper thanked supporters and staff at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for offering assistance with travel expenses.

Hooper also expressed sympathy towards Lowrance's family, saying she did not blame his parents for what happened.

'I'm hurt because I don't know exactly what happened,' she said. 'I know my daughter loved Landon and I know Landon loved Cloe.'

Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Authorities have described the incident as preventable and used it to reinforce basic firearm safety rules.

Sweet urged people to treat every firearm as loaded and never point one at another person outside of self-defence. 'You always consider that that pistol is loaded,' he said.