A white Florida woman has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of her Black neighbor, Ajike “AJ” Owens.
According to the New York Times, 58-year-old Susan Louise Lorincz, who is white, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, batter, and two counts of assault in connection to Owens’ shooting, the Marion County Sheriff’s Offices announced Wednesday (June 7).
Charges followed days after civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Owens’ family, shared details and has been keeping the public updated on the case.
Crump said Owens was shot and killed on Friday (June2) after one of her children accidentally left their iPad in a field they were playing in near an apartment complex in Ocala.
According to Crump, a white neighbor, identified as Lorincz, called the children racial slurs and yelled at the children to “get off her land.” He said the woman took the iPad that was left behind by one of Owens’ children.
When the child went back to retrieve his tablet, the woman allegedly threw the device, which hit him and cracked the screen. Owens went to the neighbor’s house after her child told her what happened.
When Owens arrived at the door, Crump said the woman shot her through the door.
Owens was taken to the hospital but was later pronounced dead.
Prior to the shooting, police said that Lorincz became angry at the children playing in the field close to her home. She began arguing with them while throwing roller skates and swung an umbrella at the children.
Protests begin to form in the area demanding that Lorincz be arrested.
Lorincz told police that she acted in self-defense. After an investigation, the sheriff’s department shared that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida’s stand-your-ground law.
Activists and many supporters following the case were wondering why it took so long to make an arrest. Sheriff Billy Woods responded to those concerns.
“Sometimes, when we do these investigations of cases of this level, rushing into making an arrest is not the right thing to do sometimes,” Sheriff Woods said in a video statement. “The justice we have been all been seeking has been served. The peace for them is still a ways down the road.”
The family of AJ Owens thanked the public for their support following the news of Lorincz arrest.
Attorney Crump also thanked supporters. He shared a caption on social media.
“Supporters & advocates, please continue raising your VOICES and standing with #AJOwens’ family. We THANK YOU ALL for your advocacy, which has helped us accomplish so much thus far. Our path toward #JusticeForAJ will be so much stronger with your continued support. #WeStandWithAJ“
A manslaughter charge of this magnitude carries up to 30 years in prison.
Although Lorincz was only charged with manslaughter, Crump has faith that the charges will increase. Along with his caption, he shared a video explaining the steps of the case.
We’re sending condolences to the Owens family and those precious babies who were affected by this senseless killing. #JusticeforAJ
Here’s the full story by Good Morning America.
