A white woman has been arrested in Florida, US for fatally shooting her neighbour last week following a feud that lasted for over two years.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Susan Lorincz, 58, was arrested on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in the death of Ajike Owens, a Nigerian mother of four.
Sheriff Billy Woods said in a statement that Lorincz fired through her front door and killed Owens.
Lorincz told investigators that she acted in self-defence and that Owens, 35, had been trying to break down her door before she fired the gun, the sheriff said. She also told them that Owens had come after her in the past, and had previously attacked her.
Sheriff Woods said the investigation, including eyewitness statements, established that Lorincz’s actions were unjustifiable under Florida law.
On Tuesday, about three dozen protesters, most of them Black, gathered outside the Marion County Judicial Center, demanding the shooter’s arrest. The chief prosecutor, State Attorney William Gladson, met with the protesters and urged patience while the investigation continues.
“If we are going to make a case we need as much time and as much evidence as possible,” Gladson said. “I don’t want to compromise any criminal investigation.”
Earlier the sheriff had said that because of the stand-your-ground law, he couldn’t make an arrest unless he could prove the shooter did not act in self-defence.
In the neighbourhood, a stuffed teddy bear and bouquets marked the area near where Owens was shot. Nearby, children were riding bikes and scooters, and playing basketball.
Some protesters gathered downtown, chanting “No justice, no peace” and “A.J. A.J. A.J” using Owens’ nickname, on Tuesday afternoon.
The sheriff said Owens was shot moments after going to Lorincz’s apartment after she yelled at Owens’ children as they played in a grassy area outside nearby. He also said Lorincz had thrown a pair of skates that hit one of the children.
Before the confrontation, Lorincz had been yelling racial slurs at the children, according to a statement from civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Owens’ family. He also represented Trayvon Martin’s family in 2012, when the Black teenager was killed in a case that drew worldwide attention to the state’s stand-your-ground law.
The sheriff’s office hasn’t confirmed there were slurs uttered or said whether race was a factor in the shooting.
