Ajike “AJ” Owens was a single mother in Florida loved on her children openly and would do anything for them, family said about the Florida mother Owens was shot dead around 9 p.m. on Friday, June 2, 2023 after she came to the door of a neighbor who had taken an object from her child.

By the Marion County Sheriff’s deputies responded to “a trespassing call,” Owens was found “suffering from a gunshot wound,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s office. Owens would be pronounced dead a short time later.

Today the victim’s family – and much of the nation – is watching anxiously as justice (or the lack of it) plays out in real time.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced early Wednesday, June 7 that they had finally arrested Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.

Complicating matters was the fact that Lorincz has claimed self-defense, which may align with the state’s “Stand Your Ground” law, which allows residents to use lethal force to defend themselves.

Lorincz also told sheriff’s deputies that she and Owens had had words in the past, which made her feel threatened when she looked outside her door and saw Owens standing there after knocking.

According to the sheriff, the confrontation had been a long time in the making and came to a boil after “a neighborhood feud over time” and “there was a lot of aggressiveness” at the door, “whether it be banging on the doors, banging on the walls and threats being made.”

She also told law enforcement that Owens was trying to break down her door. Instead of opening the door, Lorincz allegedly shot through the door, killing Owens. When officers arrived, the victim was in the grass. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died.

The fatal shooting began in a neighborhood just outside Ocala, Florida, where Lorincz was accused of yelling at Owens’ children and calling them racial slurs prior to the shooting.

According to one witness, the kids were playing nearby and some type of dispute arose. At some point, Lorincz picked up an electronic tablet that one of the children left on the ground. The dispute elevated and Lorincz ending up throwing a pair of skates at the children, hitting at least one, according to the witness.

One of Owens’ children went home and told Owens about the incident, which prompted her to go to her neighbor’s house and knock on the door.

Owens’ 9-year-old son, who witnessed the shooting, reportedly blames himself for his mother’s death. 

“In his soul, in his heart, it’s his fault that his older brother, his baby sister and his baby brother, as well as himself, will never see their mother again,” Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, told reporters.

Another child, a 12-year-old boy, who was on the scene and was not able to resuscitate his mother by performing CPR on Owens also is filled with guilt.

“Grandma, grandma. I couldn’t save her,” Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, told reporters.

“Through their investigation – including obtaining the statements of eyewitnesses who only came forward as late as yesterday – detectives were able to establish that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law,” the sheriff’s office said.