OCALA, Fla. — Calls for “Justice for AJ” were echoed throughout a news conference Wednesday afternoon as attorney Ben Crump demanded the woman accused of fatally shooting Ajike Owens’ “be charged to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested Susan Lorincz, 58, overnight on multiple charges, including manslaughter.

Lorincz is accused of shooting the Ocala mom of four outside her home last Friday after an argument over Owens’ kids playing nearby.

Despite several days for an arrest, her mother’s sentiment was clear during Wednesday’s news conference, “please, please don’t let my daughter die in vain.”


What You Need To Know

  • Deputies say a Florida mother was fatally shot through the front door of her neighbor’s home while her 9-year-old son stood next to her

  • Investigators say Ajike Owens, 35, was fatally shot after going to the Ocala apartment of her neighbor, who earlier had yelled at Owens’ children

  • Susan Lorincz is facing a series of charges and no bond has been set

The sheriff’s office received criticism for not making an immediate arrest in the case. However, Lorincz claimed self-defense, slowing down the process for quick action by law enforcement.

Originally, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said authorities only had one side to the story, Lorincz’s, who they say pulled the trigger.

It was only recently that authorities were able to interview the victim’s children and other witnesses to get a better idea of what happened.

Deputies say this started with an argument between Lorinz and Owens' children last Friday.

Woods says during that argument, Lorincz threw a roller skate at Owens’ nearly 10-year-old son, hitting him on the toe.

According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Owens, a mother of four, went to Lorincz’s door to confront her, knocking multiple times and demanding she come outside.

That is when the sheriff said Lorincz shot Owens through the door. Owens' young son stood next to her when she was shot, said Woods.

According to Woods, Lorincz claimed Owens had been trying to break down her door when she shot her. She also made claims that Owens had come after her in the past and had allegedly previously attacked her, according to a press release from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

But overnight, the sheriff said after talking with witnesses, detectives found Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable.

Because of Florida’s stand-your-ground law, the sheriff said they needed to make sure they built a firm case before making an arrest.

"Sometimes when we do investigations into cases of this level, rushing in to make an arrest is not the right thing to do sometimes. Because it can cause complications and errors," Woods said.

Florida's stand-your-ground law allows a person to respond with deadly force when they reasonably believe it's necessary to defend themselves.

The sheriff said that since January 2021, deputies responded at least a half-dozen times in connection with the feuding between Owens and the woman who shot her.

“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” the sheriff said Monday. “I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in the hopes we could have never gotten to the point at which we are here today.”

As for Lorincz, she was officially booked into the Marion County jail just before 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

She is facing the following charges: Manslaughter with a firearm, a first-degree felony punishable by 30 years imprisonment, as well as culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault.

No bond is set.

Susan Lorincz, 58, faces multiple charges, including manslaughter, in the shooting death of Ajike Owens in Ocala on June 2. (Marion County Sheriff's Office)

Witness to the shooting

Lauren Smith, 40, lives across the street from where the shooting happened. She was on her porch that day and saw one of the Owens' young sons pacing, and yelling, “They shot my mama, they shot my mama.”

She ran toward the house and started chest compressions until a rescue crew arrived. She said there was no altercation, and that Owens didn't have a weapon.

“(Smith) was angry all the time that the children were playing out there,” Smith said. “She would say nasty things to them. Just nasty.”

Smith, who is white, said the neighborhood is “family friendly” and the fact that the shooter is claiming self-defense is "outrageous.”

Before the confrontation, the white shooter had been yelling racial slurs at the children, according to a statement from civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Owens’ family and represented Trayvon Martin's family in 2012. Owens was black.

The sheriff’s office has not confirmed there were slurs uttered or said whether race was a factor in the shooting.

The Owens' family along with Crump are expected to speak later Wednesday during a press conference. 

At a vigil with the family later Monday, Thomas said the sheriff had promised him the most professional service that he and his deputies could provide, and Thomas plans to hold the agency to that.

During the same gathering, Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, said that she was seeking justice for her daughter and her grandchildren.

“My daughter, my grandchildren’s mother, was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing next to her,” Dias said. “She had no weapon. She posed no imminent threat to anyone.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.