A white woman in Central Florida who fatally shot her neighbor, a Black mother of four, claims she did so because she feared for her own life — but the victim’s mother said “she set out to kill.”
Susan Lorincz, 60, is charged with manslaughter in the death of 35-year-old Ajike “AJ” Owens on June 2, 2023, in Ocala, some 80 miles northwest of Orlando. She has pleaded not guilty.
Lorincz shot Owens through the locked front door of her apartment after her neighbor pounded on the door amid a dispute involving Owens’ children.
According to Assistant Public Defender Morris Carranza, Lorincz became afraid when Owens, who was younger, taller and weighed more than his client, allegedly threatened to kill her. Lorincz, panicking and fearing for her life, fired a single shot with her .380-caliber handgun through her door, Carranza said.
Owens, who was unarmed, died after being shot in the chest.
“I was never intending to kill. I was shaking,” Lorincz told Marion County detectives on the day of the shooting, saying in a recorded interview that she felt like she “was in mortal danger.”
The two women had previously argued about Owens’ children. In the interview, which was played in court on Wednesday, Lorincz claimed she felt harassed by the children for most of the three years she lived at their shared apartment complex.
“Every time they see me, they get together and scream and yell,” she said.
Their last confrontation unfolded as a group of children, including Owens’ kids, played in an area outside their homes.
Lorincz reportedly threw roller skates at the children and later waved an umbrella at them, Assistant State Attorney Adam Smith said.
She denies throwing anything at the kids. She also said she was just trying to get Owens to “go away,” maintaining she didn’t know who was outside her door when she pulled the trigger. Owens’ 10-year-old son was standing nearby as his mother was shot.
Owens’ mom disputed Lorincz’s account, telling reporters she “set out to cause harm.”
“That’s exactly what she did,” Pamela Dias said. “She has no regard for any form of human life. Certainly, not my family.”
An all-white jury, six jurors and two alternates, began hearing the evidence on Tuesday.
Lorincz faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Her trial is expected to last all week, according to the Ocala Star-Banner.
With News Wire Services
