'A change must come': Packed church bids farewell to Ocala mom fatally shot by neighbor

Civil rights leaders the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorney Benjamin Crump called for action Monday when they spoke during the funeral of Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens, the mother of four who was shot and killed June 2 while standing outside her neighbor's door.

Sharpton, founder of National Action Network, told the approximately 1,000 people who packed Meadowbrook Church in Ocala that he identifies with Owens, who was a single mother. Sharpton said he was raised on welfare and food stamps by a single mother.

Sharpton said his mother took him to church and protected him.

Trying to move on: Ocala community looks for normalcy following Owens tragedy

"Momma is there when no one is there," he said.

Calling Owens "a good mother," Sharpton had a message for Owens' four children, three boys and a girl, ages 3 through 12: "Be everything she wanted you to be."

The background of the case

Owens, 35, was shot and killed in Quail Run, a collection of duplexes and quadraplexes off County Road 475A. The shooter was neighbor Susan Lorincz, 58.

Lorincz claimed self-defense, but sheriff's deputies charged her with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, two counts of assault and battery. As of Monday, Lorincz remained locked up at the Marion County Jail with bail set at $154,000.

Candlelight vigils have been held in memory of Owens.

Lorincz is accused of yelling at Owens' children, using racial slurs and throwing skates at them. They told their mother, who knocked on Lorincz's door. According to the sheriff's office, Lorincz fired a shot from behind her closed door, striking Owens in the chest. Her children witnessed the shooting. Owens later died at a nearby hospital.

Questioning politicians' silence

Demanding social justice at Monday's funeral service, Sharpton had a message for everyone. To those who want to say something, yet remain quiet, he said: "You want to shout, but you don't want to work."

For those asking if there will be violence in the wake of the shooting death, Sharpton said: "The violence is what happened to AJ. We're here because of violence."

To Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders whose voices are silent, Sharpton asked: "Does DeSantis have laryngitis?"

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To Owens' children, Sharpton told them not to feel guilty because their mother "chose to stand up for you." He told them to call on him when they want to go to college, and he will show up at their graduations.

He said Lorincz brought race into the matter when she used racial slurs.

Crump's call for justice

Before introducing Crump, whom he described as the attorney general of Black America, Sharpton said Owens cannot "cry alone" and the community should stand up and not "let this go."

Crump, who said Sharpton is his mentor, said the community must "stand your ground" for justice for AJ and her children. He reminded Americans to love their neighbors and to reject stand your ground laws. And he said no one should be killed because of the color of their skin.

Crump and Ocala native Anthony D. Thomas are lawyers representing the Owens family.

Pamela Dias, Owens' mother, went to the podium Monday and thanked a number of people for standing with her and for playing a role in raising her daughter. She said she's staying strong "by the grace of God," and is a voice for her daughter and four grandchildren.

Dias' plea is to "please, don't let our baby girl's death go in vain. A change must come." She said her daughter is "depending on us, those four children (making reference to her grandchildren) are depending on us."

Gifts for Owens' children

With music blaring in the background, family and friends made their way slowly past Owens' open casket before the beginning of the service, which lasted a little more than three hours.

Several speakers, including Pastor Tim Gilligan, senior pastor of the non-denominational Meadowbrook Church, were in attendance at the funeral.

To the family, Gilligan told them this is a house of love. Pastors from different churches, along with local leaders, such as Sheriff Billy Woods, the superintendent of schools and school board members, attended the service.

Bishops Alec Richardson of Greater Dimensions Christian Fellowship in Dunnellon and James David Stockton III of Greater New Hope presided. Stockton also is president of the Marion County NAACP.

Owens' eldest child, 12-year-old Isaac Williams, thanked his father, grandmother, aunts, uncle and those in the pews.

During the service, Owens' children were told they had scholarships from colleges and universities waiting for them. They were also told clothing, school supplies, haircuts and other needs will be provided to them for free from various entities.

At the close, Owens' casket was taken outside to an awaiting horse-drawn hearse that would transport her to a vehicle that would carry her to Highlands Memorial Park, her final resting spot.

Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala comes out to honor woman killed during neighborhood dispute