UPDATE: Susan Lorincz Arrested & Charged with Manslaughter in Shooting Death of Unarmed Black Mom Ajike “AJ” Owens
The allegedly racist 58-year-old white woman who has somehow managed to evade any repercussions after shooting and killing an unarmed Black mother of four in Florida over the weekend has been identified, according to a growing number of social media posts.
Unconfirmed reports from social media sleuths state that Susan Lorincz shot 35-year-old Ajike “AJ” Owens Saturday (Jun 3) following a dispute over an iPad and young children allegedly playing on the white woman’s property.
According to a press release from the office of attorney and civil rights advocate Ben Crump, who is representing Owens’ family, Owens’ children were playing in a field next to an apartment complex in Ocala, Florida when Lorincz reportedly yelled at them to get off her property and called them racial slurs.
The children left the premises but accidentally left behind an iPad, which the woman took. When the kids went back to the woman’s home to retrieve the iPad, she threw it, hitting one of the children and cracking the screen.
A Florida woman shot and killed her neighbor after the neighbor knocked on the door to retrieve an iPad taken from her child.
The deceased victim, Ajike ‘AJ’ Owens, is Black, and the shooter, who has not been arrested, is reported to be white. pic.twitter.com/nXwpbdtR4o
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) June 6, 2023
When the children went back home and told their mom what happened, she and at least two of her children, including her 9-year-old son—who had been hit by the iPad—walked across the street so that she could speak with the woman. After Owens knocked on the front door, Lorincz responded by shooting through the door, striking Owens, who later died from her injuries.
Three days after the fatal shooting, Lorincz—a suspected white supremacist—has yet to be charged or arrested and her identity has not been publicly disclosed by law enforcement officials.
In fact, some social media reports state that the woman has since received a police escort to go to her home and retrieve belongings, while a makeshift memorial near where the fatal shooting occurred has been disassembled so as not to “draw attention” to the area.
“My daughter. My grandchildren’s mother. Was shot and killed with her 9-year old son standing right next to her,” Ajike Owens’ mother said: pic.twitter.com/DgOLxQKoT6
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 6, 2023
During a news conference Monday (Jun 5), Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods didn’t confirm or reject Crump’s story, telling reporters he wasn’t “going to stand here and tell you what they’re putting out there is inaccurate. It’s just I don’t know yet.”
Sheriff Woods did say that there’d been a long-standing “neighborhood feud” between Lorincz and Owens about her kids. He also confirmed that the children may have been hit by an unspecified object. Was something thrown at them? Yes, but not directly at them of what we’re being told now,” Woods said. “It just unfortunately may have hit them.” He added: “The children are a big part of answering a lot of our questions.”
Woods also said that when Owens went to the Lorincz door, a heated exchange occurred before the shooting, and at least two of Owens’ children may have witnessed the shooting.
As we all know, Florida is a “Stand Your Ground” state, which gives citizens the legal right to defend themselves with lethal force, however, this case doesn’t appear to fall under “self-defense.”
35-year old Ajike “AJ” Owens was murdered in FL by a 58-year old white neighbor because her kids were playing in the yard. Four little kids no longer have a mother and, stop me if you’ve heard this one before, so far the shooter has not been arrested because of stand your ground. pic.twitter.com/NtQ8j6v5pQ
— Warren (@swd2) June 6, 2023
Welcome to America, where a white woman can shoot and kill a Black woman in front of her young children and not be charged with a crime.
A GoFundMe has been organized to help with funeral costs for AJ Owens, as well as costs associated with her children’s education expenses.
“Ajike Owens (affectionately known as AJ) graciously affected all she came into contact with her infectious personality,” the GoFundMe reads. “She had a smile that would light up the room. But most of all, she was known for how much she loved and absolutely lived for her four children. To say she loved her children unconditionally is an understatement.
“She was a single mother whose life centered around her children. She was the Team Mom for her children’s football/cheerleading teams. She excelled professionally as a manager in the Restaurant/Hospitality industry. She was a devoted Christian who believed in bringing her kids up in a supportive Christian environment.
“After being a devoted mother, she was a devoted friend that took friendships to heart. There wasn’t anything that she wouldn’t do for those near and dear to her heart. She often would give to other single mothers that were in similar situations that she’d been in.”
The page concludes: “In 2023, we witnessed the shooting of Ralph Yarl and the killing of Kaylin Gillis as instances where the Stand Your Ground doctrine has emboldened individuals to use unnecessary violent force in the name of self-defense. This is yet another instance where the law could potentially come into play and erode justice.
“AJ’s family has partnered with activists and national advocacy groups to effect change on a national scale.”
