Howard University engineering student Aaron James “AJ” Sutton has passed away and we are sending our prayers and heartfelt condolences to the Sutton family. Sutton was fatally shot Thursday, May 28th. A GoFundMe account that has been arranged to assist with his AJ’s final resting plans shares:

We are devastated to announce that our beloved son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend- Aaron James Sutton is no longer with us. “AJ,” as he was affectionately known, was a charismatic, brilliant, driven, young man. He was extremely talented; he was exceptional in music, dance, and art. Not only was he gifted in the arts, but his creativity carried over into being innovative, inventive, and mathematically gifted. As a result, he had a great deal of knowledge and intellect that allowed him to excel in his studies to pursue an engineering degree at Howard University; he just completed his freshman year. AJ was a family man; he was extremely protective, caring and loving when it came to his mother, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. His life was senselessly cut short when he was murdered on May 28, 2020. His death left our family and friends completely distraught; words cannot fully describe the shock and horror of hearing that AJ had suddenly passed in such a violent manner. While we are deeply saddened by his passing, we are so grateful to have had nineteen special years with this bright young man.

Due to his unexpected death, his mother, Wanda Sutton, and sisters are plagued with the task of raising money to pay his funeral costs, and planning funeral arrangements. We understand that these are hard times for most, but we would appreciate whatever you can give during these strenuous times. We thank you for your thoughts, love, and support during this difficult time.

Official details of how AJ passed are still being awaited.

Student organizations at Howard University (HU) offer their condolences. HU’s ‘Womxn of Revolt’ shares, “Today we lost a member of our Howard community. AJ Sutton was only 19 and was killed in a shooting last night. He was only a freshman, but had ambition and plans for his future that were tragically cut short. Everyone please send thoughts and prayers to AJ’s friends and family.”

Howard University’s ‘March For Our Lives’ shares, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to to the friends and family of Aaron “AJ” Sutton. AJ, 19, was shot and killed last night on May 28th in Baltimore. He was a freshman at Howard University in the College of Engineering. AJ had plans of becoming an engineer and pursuing a rap career. AJ looked at attending Howard as a way to better himself and get out of the system that his peers and people in his neighborhood were so accustomed to.“

The student government association, Howard University Student Association (HUSA) issued the following statement about the loss of their fellow Bison:

Sutton’s GoFundme account has generated donations from more than 1,000 people and has raised over $24,000, already surpassing its original goal of $16,000, in less than 24 hours.

We are standing by for developments on the story of this devastating loss, please stay tuned.