A Florida sheriff says he was “glad” to arrest a white woman who shot and killed her black neighbor fighting over their children after viewing damning security footage and spotting several “damning” claims in her interview.
Susan Lorincz, 58, is accused of shooting dead Ajike “AJ” Owens, 35, in front of Owens’ 10-year-old son after a bitter two-year dispute between the two.
Lorincz was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, gross negligence, assault and double assault and will appear before a judge at the Marion County Courthouse for the first time this morning after a medical examination.
Authorities arrested her four days after the June 2 incident in Ocala, Fla., with the insurance agent telling officers during their interview that she “feared for her life.”
Lorincz’s claims were dismissed as “BS” by Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods on Thursday, who said, “The cameras were the final nail.”
Susan Lorincz, 58, will appear before a judge at the Marion County Courthouse for the first time this morning after undergoing a medical examination
Lorincz is accused of shooting dead 35-year-old Ajike “AJ” Owens (pictured) in front of her 10-year-old son, amid a bitter two-year dispute between the two
Woods said the accounts of Owens’ children were backed up by surveillance footage from a neighbor’s home.
“There are things that people say we can prove is a yellow flag — absolutely not a flag — and say, ‘No, that’s wrong,'” he told WFTV.
“She couldn’t see through the door, she couldn’t see the person.” Her expressions of fear for her life make our hair stand on end.’
The affidavit states that there were two surveillance cameras in Lorincz’s home, one facing the patio and the other mounted on the sliding door.
She claimed the cameras were functional, but only recorded movement and “sometimes didn’t catch anything at night.”
The cameras can be accessed through her phone, and after initially refusing to reveal the passcode, Lorincz handed over the phone.
Officers were unable to view any recordings after 8:40 p.m. the night of the incident, but Lorincz denied deleting any recordings.
Officers also admitted Lorincz kept possession of her phone for two hours after she was put in a police car – and footage shows her briefly accessing it.
From the camera’s point of view, however, it’s unclear what she was doing on the phone and it was subsequently included as evidence.
Lorincz told police that Owens’ children “trespassed” on her property, with neighbors revealing that she had “a problem with children” and would record them, before taunting them with insults and waving her guns at them.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said the Lorincz version of events was “bullshit” because Owen’s children’s accounts all matched and surveillance footage came from a neighbor’s home
Also, according to an affidavit, there were two surveillance cameras inside the Lorincz residents, one facing the patio and the other mounted on the sliding door
Phyllis Wills, 33, told NBC that Lorincz would “molest” her kids, adding, “Everybody in this neighborhood was fighting with that lady about our kids.”
Other parents said they called her a “Karen” after she repeatedly filmed her children and called the police about their antics.
Willis said, “It’s an apartment complex.” These are kids who, you know, are going to do things. …
“Every time they walked into that lawn over there, she said, ‘Get off my lawn, you idiot, or you idiot, or you n-word.’ She would wave guns at them.’
When questioned by police, one of Owens’ sons claimed Lorincz had previously called her “B******” and “Jack****s” and said, “That’s not the subway, slave. “ ‘.
Owens went to Lorincz’s home to confront her over allegations that earlier in the day she threw a rollerblade at one of her children and smashed a tablet before brandishing an umbrella at them.
Insurance agent Lorincz told police during her interview that Owens’ children “trespassed” on her property in Ocala, Fla., and one of them threatened to “beat them up.”
An affidavit said Lorincz had called 911 at 8:54 p.m. on June 2 to complain that the children had been trespassing and told officers they had been shouting outside her door
Shown above right is a patched bullet hole on a door where Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, was shot and killed on Friday night
Lawyers for Owens’ family are asking for an upgrade to the murder charges and a further trial for “racial abuse” of the children.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said, “There is evidence to escalate the charges. Especially when you think about what happened when she used racist swear words and profanity at the children.”
Authorities have come under pressure to arrest and charge Lorincz in a case that has put Florida’s divisive stand-your-ground law back in the spotlight – Sheriff Billy Woods described it as “just a homicide.”
An affidavit said Lorincz had called 911 at 8:54 p.m. on June 2 to complain that the children had been trespassing and told officers they had been shouting outside her door.
Minutes later, officers received several more 911 calls indicating gunfire had been heard in the area. Lorincz called again and said that “a woman tried to break down her door while yelling” and that she shot her.
Owens reportedly told her 12-year-old son to call 911 after he was hit by the bullet. The boy told officers that she “just knocked on the door.” She was taken to the hospital, where she later died
Lawyers for Owens’ family are asking for an upgrade to the murder charges and a further trial for “racial abuse” of the children.
Police records show that authorities have been called at least six times in connection with Lorincz and Owens since 2021
An affidavit said Lorincz had called 911 at 8:54 p.m. on June 2 to complain that the children had been trespassing and told officers they had been shouting outside her door
Owens reportedly told her 12-year-old son to call 911 after he was hit by the bullet. The boy told officers that she “just knocked on the door.” She was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
Lorincz said she fired the Remington 380 gun from her kitchen and admitted owning a 22 Ruger – and claimed she only bought the gun “for protection after an altercation” with Owens.
She told cops she felt she was in “mortal danger” and “feared for her life,” before claiming she “never intended to hit the victim” and “hit her really high.”
Since then, a GoFundMe page has been established for Owens’ family, which helps pay for funeral and memorial costs, the children’s education, and the family’s housing and living expenses.
Nearly $149,000 has been raised to support the bereaved family with a goal of $500,000.
Tributes were also left near where Owens was shot, and protesters also demonstrated outside the courthouse and police station.
During a family vigil later Monday, Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, said she was seeking justice for her daughter and grandchildren.
“My daughter, the mother of my grandchildren, was shot while her nine-year-old son was standing next to her,” Dias said. “She didn’t have a gun. She posed no immediate danger to anyone.’