Picking up the pieces: Ocala community looks for normalcy following Owens tragedy

Tammy Cohen was so moved by the death of Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens that she drove from Lake County to Ocala to visit the spot where the mother of four children fell as neighbors frantically tried saving her life and prayed.

With flowers, a glass candle and her 1-year-old brown pit-bull dog Coco, Cohen placed her items among a host of other candles and a medium-sized teddy bear.

Cohen said she wanted see where Owens was shot and where her shooter, Susan Louise Lorincz, lived.

"This story just broke my heart," she said. "It didn't sit right with me. This should never have happen."

Media briefing: Press conferences held Monday for the shooting death of mother of four children

Ptotest: Florida mom Ajike Owens killed by neighbor: Shooting sparks protests, Stand Your Ground discussions

The 35-year-old mother to three boys and a daughter, ranging from 3 through 12, was shot in her Ocala neighborhood on June 2 by her neighbor, who claims it was in self-defense. Lorincz is facing charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, two counts of assault and battery.

Lorincz, 58, is also accused of yelling at Owens's children, using racial slurs and throwing skates at them, which led to them telling their mother. Owens went to confront her neighbor at her home, at which point, Lorincz fired a shot from inside her locked house, striking Owens in the chest. Her children witnessed the shooting. Owens later died at a nearby hospital.

A week of events

News of the shooting spread nationwide and beyond, and has made Ocala a focal point of endless debate on a number of topics like the law, race, equality, guns, gun violence, leadership and the community.

A vigil was held for Owens at the spot where she collapsed on Saturday. A second vigil was held Thursday at the church that will host her funeral.

Three days after Owens untimely death, there was anger, resentment and frustration from the Black community who demanded an arrest.

That same Monday, two press conferences were held within a few hours of each other. The first was from Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods to explain why the accused shooter was not in jail. His reasoning was they had to complete the investigation and interview witnesses. Woods said he didn't want to subject the children through an interview, not when their mother had just been killed in front of them, and wanted to rely on professionals for those conversations.

Secondly, Woods said he had to sure that the stand your ground law would not act as a shield for Lorincz's defense.

A second press conference was held at New St. John Missionary Baptist Church, not far away from the Sheriff's Office on Northwest Second Street.

One of Owens' family lawyers, Anthony D. Thomas, an Ocala native, the victim's family and community leaders called on Woods and prosecutors to make an arrest.

On Tuesday, a peaceful protest shouted justice for "AJ" in downtown Ocala. They marched from downtown to the Marion County Judicial Center to see State Attorney Bill Gladson. He greeted some of the protestors, who made their way to the front of Gladson's office, wanting to know why Lorincz was not in handcuffs.

Gladson said his office was working closely with Woods and he wanted to make sure that they had all of the evidence before taking the next step before bringing charges.

That same night, news broke on social media that Lorincz had been arrested. Despite hearing of an arrest, tears of joy and satisfaction about Lorincz, some were cautiously optimistic.

Civil rights lawyer and activist Benjamin Crump, the other attorney representing the family, on Wednesday told an audience who had gathered at the same church on Monday, that the community should not rest easy because there had been a major movement. He wanted more.

Crump said the state attorney needs to upgrade Lorincz's charge, and wants a conviction for the sake of Owens, her family and the community.

Thursday and Friday were dedicated to lawyers defending Lorincz.

Her lawyers, Chief Assistant Public Defender John Spivey and Assistant Public Defender Amanda Sizemore, and Assistant State Attorney Rich Buxman, battled to keep the alleged suspect to be free on bail or remain behind bars.

The judge granted $154,000 bond for Lorincz on Friday.

Lauren Smith

As the case against Lorincz makes its legal way through the court, the community of Quail Run, located off County Road 475A in Ocala and within touching distance of vast vacant lands, nice homes, horse farms and horses, is slowly picking up the pieces of what happened just a week ago.

Residents living there, do so in duplexes or quadraplexes.

The area where neighborhood kids play, is an open, green field that's next Lorincz's building. Neighbors said the impression they get from Lorincz is that she doesn't like children.

They say whenever the children play in the field, she frequently plays. The sheriff's office has documentations of Lorincz's calls, and the back-and-forth bickering between her and the neighbors. Despite the land not being owed by Lorincz, neighbors said she believes she's in control of it.

Lauren Smith, one of the neighbors who rushed to Owens side when she was shot once in the chest, said she's happy Lorincz was arrested.

"It needed to be done," she said while sitting on her porch. "She deserves to be in jail."

The shooting has been tough on her and the rest of the community. She said they had their ups and downs, but believe they're gradually regaining their happiness once again.

"I think we can finally breathe that the family (making reference to Owens) and the kids hopefully get some justice. I hope they can start to heal," she added.

Smith said Lorincz didn't come around much after the shooting. She said Lorincz stopped by twice, each time to pick up some belongings, but never stayed long. She said some of the neighbors saw Lorincz and jeered her. She said she understands the resentment shown toward the neighbor who is now being evicted.

Jerreth Gardner

Not far away from Smith's residence is Jerreth Gardner who feels "everyone has been affected by the shooting."

Gardner said he thinks about Owens' children and what they must be going through, especially the ones who saw their mother being shot.

"Their mom was their rock," he said.

Echoing Smith, Gardner said "the community was upset" that Lorincz wasn't immediately arrested. Now, even with the arrest, Gardner says the charges are too light.

"I think she should be charged with first-degree or second-degree murder. She had every intention to harm that woman before she (Owens) got to the door," he said.

Gardner said Owens posed no threat to Lorincz, and wasn't trying to break into Lorincz's residence, as the neighbor claimed to detectives.

And even if Lorincz is convicted, "it will never be enough," he said.

"The kids lost all of their friends because they're not here anymore; they lost their mother; they lost their innocence; they will never be the same," he said. "I feel a little better she was arrested because it was like a slap in the face when she wasn't arrested."

Yearning for normalcy

Cohen said she had to come to Ocala so she could pay her respect to Owens. She said she's praying that this type of incident will never be repeated and is perplexed at how the events escalated so quick.

"I don't understand the hatred. It's so hurtful," she said.

With Lorincz now away from the neighborhood, she is hopeful everything goes back to noraml soon, though she understands it may never happen.

"Now that she's gone, I don't think (the community) will be a problem," she said. "She was the only problem child."

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

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala community seeks normalcy after Ajike Owens death, neighbor arrest