Advocates call for abolishing ‘stand your ground’ laws after Ajike Owens's death

Police made an arrest Tuesday in the fatal shooting of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a mother of four who died in front of her 10-year-old child in Ocala, Fla. Susan Lorincz, 58, was arrested on manslaughter and assault charges in Owens’s death, which sparked outrage and brought renewed attention to Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law.

Owens's family has been calling for an arrest since Owens was shot and killed through Lorincz’s closed door on Friday. “Tonight was a pivotal moment,” Pamela Dias, Owens’s mother, said in a video message on Tuesday, adding that she is thankful to the community leaders for helping them reach “this victory.”

At a press conference Wednesday, Dias said she was grateful for an arrest but “very disappointed that it took four days."

"When is it OK in America to shoot someone behind a locked door?” she asked in a church filled with dozens of people chanting “Justice for AJ.” "Why did it have to take four days?"

According to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, Owens's children were playing outside near an Ocala apartment complex when Lorincz threw a pair of skates that hit one of the children.

After the incident, “[Owens] knocked on the door once. When there was no answer, she simply replied, ‘I know you hear me.’ There was no confrontation. At the time that was said, the shot rang,” Anthony Thomas, the family’s lawyer, said at a press conference Monday.

Woods initially said that Lorincz was not immediately arrested because of Florida's ‘stand your ground’ law. The statute allows an individual to use force against a person they believe puts them in imminent danger, and does not require the person facing harm to try to retreat.

According to authorities, Lorincz alleged that Owens tried to break down her door and that she acted in self-defense. Since 2021, Lorincz and Owens had contacted authorities at least six to eight times, in a series of ongoing disputes.

However, on Tuesday, Sheriff Woods, in a video message Tuesday evening, said the shooting was not justified under the “stand your ground” law, and described it as “simply a killing.” “The justice we have all been seeking has been served,” he said.

In a press release, the family’s attorneys, Ben Crump and Anthony Thomas, called the delay in accountability unacceptable, asking, “What does it say when a person can shoot and kill an unarmed mother in the presence of her young children, and not be immediately taken into custody, questioned and charged?

Crump, the civil rights attorney, said at a press conference at noon Wednesday, said the family wants Lorincz charged to the “fullest extent of the law,” but went on to say more work must be done.

“We must eradicate laws like Stand Your Ground that only contribute to the lawlessness of our country and the disproportionate maiming and killing of people of color,” the press release said.

Owens's funeral will be held on Monday, June 12. The Rev. Al Sharpton is expected to deliver the eulogy.

‘Stand your ground’ law under more scrutiny

The “stand your ground” law has long been under scrutiny, after a number of high-profile shootings, most notably the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old who was fatally shot after a trip to the convenience store by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman claimed self-defense.

Since Martin’s death, his mother, Sybrina Fulton, has called for the repeal of "stand your ground" laws across the country. At least 28 states have some form of the law, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"Laws that give people the right to seek out dangerous situations, to shoot first and ask questions later, do not make our families more safe," Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., who lost her 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, in a Florida shooting that sparked concerns around "stand your ground" legislation, told NBC News.

In April, “stand your ground” was in the spotlight once again, after Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black teenager from Kansas City, Mo., was shot after he knocked on the wrong door to pick up his younger siblings. Missouri has a “stand your ground” law that, like Florida’s, does not require a person to retreat from danger.

“We will remain vigilant in seeking justice for AJ and other people of color, like Ralph Yarl, who simply knocked on a door and was met with the barrel of a gun,” Owens's attorneys said. Yarl’s shooter was arrested four days after the shooting on two felony charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

The law has drawn much criticism, with some experts saying that “stand your ground” is often mistaken for “Shoot first and think later.”

“I think there's widespread misunderstanding of what 'stand your ground' provisions mean,” Cynthia Ward, a law professor at William and Mary and a “stand your ground” expert, told Yahoo News. “My fear is that people have mistaken 'stand your ground' provisions for 'Shoot first and think later' provisions, and they are not meant to be that.”

But Woods, the Marion County sheriff, said the law is essential for safety in the Sunshine State, arguing, “Personally, I think it's a great law designed to help Floridians defend themselves and keep themselves safe. However, it does not apply in all situations, and this situation is a prime example.”