Turns Out "Stand Your Ground" Didn't Stand for Ajike Owens' Shooter
The woman who fatally shot a Black mother of four in Ocala, Florida has finally been arrested and charged, per The Washington Post. The arrest comes four days after residents and family members demanded justice be served for the heinous crime.
Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in connection to the shooting death of Ajike “AJ” Owens, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
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Lorincz is accused of shooting from behind her closed front door, striking Owens who stood outside with her 10-year-old son standing beside her. Owens was confronting Lorincz about allegedly throwing items at her children and yelling racial slurs at them.
Shortly after, officers responded to a possible trespassing call and found Owens suffering from the gunshot wound and performed aid to try and save her life, the report says. She died moments later.
Read more from WashPo:
According to the sheriff’s office, Lorincz told investigators that she and Owens had a past history of animosity and claimed that Owens “previously attacked her.” She said that she acted in self-defense in shooting Owens, “and that Owens had been trying to break down her door prior to her discharging her firearm,” the office said.
Initially, Sheriff Billy Woods was reluctant to make an arrest because it was speculated that Lorincz could have been protected under the “stand your ground” law. However, the Major Crimes Unit found through interviews and surveillance footage that Lorincz initiated the conflict after she grew increasingly angry at Owens’ children, who were playing in a field nearby.
The investigation found Lorincz actions were not justifiable by self-defense, per the report. The sheriff called it “simply a killing.”
“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,” said Sheriff Woods in a statement.
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