Arrest Made After Mom Allegedly Gunned Down by Neighbor

Susan Lorincz is in custody for the killing of 35-year-old Black mom Ajike Owens in Ocala, Florida
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 7, 2023 7:21 AM CDT
Arrest Made After Mom Allegedly Gunned Down by Neighbor
A protester holds a poster of Ajike Owens at the Marion County Courthouse on Tuesday in Ocala, Florida.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)

An arrest has been made after a fatal shooting last week in Ocala, Florida, that left a mom of four dead amid what cops say appeared to be a long-standing feud between neighbors. Early Wednesday, the Marion County Sheriff's Office announced that Susan Louise Lorincz was detained Tuesday for the killing of 35-year-old Ajike Owens, who was shot through Lorincz's front door after she'd apparently knocked to talk with her about an incident involving Owens' children. CNN notes that Lorincz is a 58-year-old white woman; Owens was Black. Detectives say they'd determined that "over a period of time, Lorincz had become angry at Owens' children, who were playing in a field close to her home."

Things apparently escalated from there—including allegations that Lorincz yelled racial slurs at the kids, threw a roller skate at one of the children, and swung at them with an umbrella—and Owens reportedly went over to Lorincz's place to confront her. Investigators say that Lorincz told them she'd acted in self-defense in shooting Owens, as Owens had been trying to break down her door. Lorincz also claimed that Owens had attacked her in the past. However, the sheriff's office notes that after their investigation, "detectives were able to establish that Lorincz's actions were not justifiable under Florida law," which includes a "stand your ground" law that allows people to use deadly force if they believe it would "prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another," per the Washington Post.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods says police are still interviewing Owens' children. Lorincz was brought into custody Tuesday night and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and assault, per the sheriff's office. "My daughter, my grandchildren's mother, was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing next to her," Owens' mother, Pamela Dias, said Monday, per CNN. "She had no weapon, she posed no imminent threat to anyone." A press conference with Owens' family and the family's legal team is set for Wednesday. (More Florida stories.)

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