“The justice we have all been seeking has been served,” Sheriff Billy Woods said in a video posted to Facebook Tuesday.
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An arrest has been made in the shooting death of Ajike “AJ” Owens — a 35-year-old Black mother-of-four who was reportedly shot in front of one of her children on Friday (June 2). The shooting reportedly followed a dispute involving Owens’s children and her white neighbor.
On Tuesday, The Shade Room confirmed with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, was charged with manslaughter by way of a firearm, two counts of assault, battery, and culpable negligence in connection to Owens’s death.
“The justice we have all been seeking has been served,” Sheriff Billy Woods said in a video posted to Facebook Tuesday.
Authorities were initially unsure if Lorincz would be charged in Owens’s death due to Florida’s controversial “stand-your-ground” law.
However, the arrest came this week following mounting pressure from Owens’s family, represented by renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Meanwhile, local politicians called for Lorincz’s arrest.
Locinsc’z crime is “punishable by 30 years imprisonment,” according to the Sheriff’s office.
Lawyers for the Owens family claim the young mother was playing in an Ocala field with her four children, all under 12, on Friday.
Police say Lorincz proceeded to “engage in an argument with the children and was overhead yelling at them by a neighbor.” She then reportedly threw a roller skate at Owens’s 10-year-old son, which struck him in the toe, the Washington Post reports.
She also allegedly called the Owens racial slurs amidst the confrontation, as previously reported by The Shade Room.
Lorincz also attempted to hit Owens’s two sons with an umbrella after the children tried to speak with her. That’s when authorities say Owens’s sons told their mother of the encounter with Lorincz, who promptly went over to confront her.
“Owens approached Lorincz’s home, knocked on the door multiple times, and demanded that Lorincz come outside,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office added: “Lorincz then fired one shot through the door, striking Owens in her upper chest.” Additionally, the suspect reportedly shot Owens in front of her 10-year-old son.
When the officers arrived, they found Owens suffering from a gunshot wound, Sheriff Woods said.
She died shortly after that from her injuries, Woods added.
The field in question remains central to Lorincz’s alleged motive, according to officials.
Following an investigation, authorities found that “over a period of time, Lorincz had become angry at Owens’ children, who were playing in a field close to her home.”
She reportedly believed that Owens’s children were trespassing on her property whenever they played in the field, The Shade Room reported on Tuesday.
Woods had previously said his office must determine whether Lorincz’s response was justified under the state’s “stand-your-ground” law. The law states that a person does have the right to meet force with deadly force. But, it only applies if they believe it’s necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm, according to FOX 35.
“Any time that we think or perceive or believe that that might come into play, we cannot make an arrest. The law specifically says that, and what we have to rule out is whether the deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest,” the sheriff said before Lorincz’s arrest.
However, “detectives were able to establish that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law,” the sheriff’s office added.
Lorincz will make her first court appearance on June 8 at 9 a.m., per WESH.
A GoFundMe campaign has since been launched advocating for justice for Owens and her children. Donations will reportedly cover “funeral and memorial expenses” for Owens. As well s “education expenses” for her children and the family’s “living expenses.”