OCALA, Florida — A woman has been arrested in connection with the death of Ajike “AJ” Owens, the black mother who authorities say was shot dead last week in central Florida after knocking on a neighbor's door, a sheriff's office spokesman said.
Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, was arrested on gun homicide, negligence, battery and two counts of assault, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said early Wednesday.
Lorincz, who is white, was detained late Tuesday, the sheriff's office said. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney.
Authorities said Owens was shot through the door of a neighbor's home near Ocala, Florida, on Friday. Owens' family and attorneys are demanding that the killer be caught and prosecuted. His family also accused Lorincz of yelling at Owens' children and calling them racial slurs before the shooting.
When interviewed, Lorincz claimed he was acting in self-defence and that Owens had tried to bust his door down before he removed his gun, according to a sheriff's office news release. Lorincz also said Owens chased her in the past and previously assaulted her, the release said.
“Through their investigation – which included obtaining statements from eyewitnesses that had appeared until yesterday – detectives were able to determine that Lorincz's actions were not justifiable under Florida law,” the sheriff's office said.
Prosecutors have been working with investigators in Marion County to determine whether they will press charges in the case, Fifth Assistant Chief Judicial State Attorney Walter Forgie said Tuesday.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said Monday that investigators should consider Florida statutes “stand firm” before making an arrest. The law allows people to respond with lethal force if they reasonably believe they are being threatened with death or serious injury, and says they don't have to back down if they are “not engaged in criminal activity and … somewhere where he has right to be.”
Woods emphasized Monday that authorities have largely only heard the perspective of the shooter, who has not been publicly named, and are still working to interview Owens' children, who witnessed the killing.
Investigators have determined Owens knocked on Lorincz's door to confront him after he threw a pair of shoes at his children, hitting at least one of them, according to Woods.
This January 14, 2023 photo, released by attorney Anthony D. Thomas, shows Ajike “AJ” Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four from Ocala, Florida.
Anthony D. Thomas via AP
The Owens family insisted that his murder was unjustified.
“My daughter, the mother of my grandson, was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing beside her,” Owens' mother Pamela Dias said Monday. “He has no weapons, he poses no threat to anyone.”
The Owens family and their lawyers, Ben Crump and Anthony Thomas, are expected to hold a news conference on Wednesday.
Witnesses described an altercation prior to shooting
A witness told sheriff's deputies that children were playing in a nearby field before the shooting and an altercation broke out when neighbors picked up an electronic tablet that one of the children had left on the ground, according to the incident report.
The shooter “engaged” with the Owens children and threw a pair of shoes at them, hitting at least one, according to Woods.
One of Owens' children later came home and told his mother what had happened, prompting Owens to walk over to the neighbor's house and knock on the door, Woods said.
As Owens confronted his neighbor, Owens was shot through a door, the sheriff said. When deputies responded to the scene Friday night after receiving a trespassing call, they found Owens lying on the grass with a gunshot wound, said the incident report.
A patched bullet hole, top right, is seen in a door, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, where Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, was shot and killed a week earlier.
AP / John Raoux's photo
The mother was then taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead, authorities said.
The family demands justice for the single mother of four children
Owens' family and lawyers gathered at a news conference Monday to demand justice for him, saying his murder was unprovoked and unwarranted.
In an interview with MSNBC on Monday, Owens' mother said Owens acted “as any parent would.”
“He just knocked on the door, unarmed, no gun. He just wanted answers. He wanted to talk to another adult about the incident with his 9-year-old son,” Dias told MSNBC.
A single mother of four, Owens is fondly remembered by her loved ones as her family's dedicated caretaker and disease connoisseur.
“He had a smile that would light up a room,” reads a verified GoFundMe page started by his family. “But most of all she's known for how much she loves and truly lives for her four children.”
“There is nothing she wouldn't do for those near and dear to her heart. She often gives to other single mothers who are in the same situation she is in,” says the fundraising page.
CNN wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Invention Company. All rights reserved.