The white woman who shot and killed a Black woman who confronted her after she had thrown an object at her children has been arrested and charged with manslaughter culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.
The incident had made national headlines due to Florida’s controversial “stand your ground law,” which gives individuals the right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, to protect themselves.
The suspect in question, Susan Lorincz, 58, had killed Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, after a long-standing feud between the two, who had been neighbors for over two years, according to Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
In a video posted on Facebook the town’s sheriff Billy Woods said that the shooting was not a case of stand your ground, but “simply a killing.”
“Now many of you were struggling to understand why there was not an immediate arrest,” Woods said. “The laws here in the state of Florida are clear. Now I may not like them. I may not agree with them. But however, those laws I will follow.”
The video also showed two detectives and a deputy escorting Lorincz while her hands were behind her back.
The sheriff’s office further revealed that Lorincz had grown frustrated because Owens’ children would play in a field close to her apartment.
On Friday night at around 9 PM, deputies responded to a “trespassing call” in the neighborhood, but upon arrival, they discovered that Owens suffered from a gunshot wound.
Deputies provided her with first aid before rushing her to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to Woods, Owens had feuded with the neighbor for quite some time and “there was a lot of aggressiveness…whether it be banging on the doors, banging on the walls and threats being made.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has been hired to represent Owens’ family in the shooting and stated that the shooter “HASN’T been arrested or charged with anything by law enforcement for the unjust killing,” according to a statement he posted on Facebook at the time of the shooting.
Meanwhile, the local sheriff said at the time that the case is complex in nature due to Florida’s “stand your ground” law.
On Monday, Owens’ family, their attorneys and community leaders gathered at a news conference in Ocalas to express their disappointment in the way the case has been handled following her death.
“She was rendered voiceless,” Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias said. “We are here on her behalf. We are here on behalf of the four kids that are left behind, without a mother.” She further added that her 9-year-old grandson was standing next to his mother when she was gunned down.
“Anytime something this tragic happens, there are always a lot of questions,” Woods said at the news conference. “A lot of people don’t understand how the laws in the state of Florida sometimes work.”
Following the suspect’s arrest, Woods said that he wanted “to thank Ms. Owens’ family for their patience as we conducted the diligent investigation that we were bound by law to conduct. Ms. Lorincz’s fate is now in the hands of the judicial system which I trust will deliver justice in due course. As I go to bed tonight, I will be saying a prayer for Ms. Owens’ children and the rest of her family. I’d ask all of you to do the same.”
