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Fla. mother of four fatally shot by neighbor following alleged altercation over children playing

June 7, 2023 | | Print Article

One Florida single mother of four is dead and another Florida woman, her neighbor, is in jail following an altercation that turned deadly last Friday.

The children of now-deceased woman Ajike “AJ” Owens, 38, were playing in a nearby field when alleged shooter Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, “engaged in an argument with the children and was overhead yelling at them by a neighbor,” according to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office published Tuesday.

“During this argument, Lorincz threw a roller skate at Owens’ 10-year-old son, striking the child in the toe. After this, when the child and his 12-year-old brother went to speak to Lorincz, she opened her door and swung at them with an umbrella,” the statement continues.

Owens’ children then returned home and told their mother about what had occurred. In response, Owens “approached Lorincz’s home, knocked on the door multiple times, and demanded that Lorincz come outside.”

It’s at this point that Lorincz allegedly opened fire, firing a single shot that hit Owens in the upper chest and killed her. Owens’ 10-year-old son was reportedly standing beside her when this happened.

“When interviewed, Lorincz claimed that she acted in self-defense and that Owens had been trying to break down her door prior to her discharging her firearm. Lorincz also claimed that Owens had come after her in the past and had previously attacked her,” according to the sheriff’s department.

After further investigating the shooting, however, detectives ultimately concluded that Lorincz’s actions weren’t likely justifiable under Florida law, and so she was arrested on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault.

“I want to thank my detectives for working tirelessly to fully investigate this case. I also want to thank Ms. Owens’ family for their patience as we conducted the diligent investigation that we were bound by law to conduct,” Sheriff Billy Woods said in a statement.

“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,” he added.

Lorincz’s arrest on Tuesday came after days of pressure being applied from activists. It just so happens that she’s white while Owens is black, and so the case has naturally attracted the attention of race hustlers like Benjamin Crump.

Race hustlers like Crump initially slammed the local police for not immediately arresting Lorincz.

The police for their part pushed back on the criticism by noting that Florida is a “Stand Your Ground” state.

“Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said Monday that investigators had to consider Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ law before making an arrest. The statute allows people to respond with deadly force if they reasonably believe they are being threatened with death or serious injury, and says they don’t have to retreat if they’re ‘not engaged in a criminal activity and … in a place where he or she has a right to be,'” CNN notes.

Not surprisingly, race hustlers like Crump are now 100 percent confident it took so long to arrest Lorincz not because of this discrepancy but because she’s white.

Case in point:

There’s no evidence to suggest Lorincz would have been immediately arrested had the roles been reversed, but the truth doesn’t appear to matter to them.

“If we are going to make a case we need as much time and as much evidence as possible. I don’t want to compromise any criminal investigation and I’m not going to do that,” State Attorney William Gladson reportedly told protesters before Lorincz’s arrest.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for those who wish to help the Owens family.

Vivek Saxena
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