Community members, neighbors respond following jury trial

Pamela Dias, the mother of Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens, center, becomes emotional as she sits with family attorney, Anthony Thomas, left, as Susan Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter at the Marion County Judicial Center in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, August 16, 2024. Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter for the June 2, 2023 shooting death of Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens, who Lorincz shot and killed through her own closed and locked front door. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2024.

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Posted August 20, 2024 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]

The guilty verdict on Aug. 16 in the shooting death of 35-year-old mother of four Ajike “AJ” Owens in southwest Marion County by then 58-year-old Susan Lorincz took less than two hours of jury deliberations but capped 14 months of emotionally charged discussion about the case.

Although four additional charges were dropped or not pursued, Lorincz was found guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the jury trial.

The case included an admission by Lorincz, who is white, that she used a racial slur against the children of the victim, who was Black.

Lorincz first invoked the Florida statute known as the “stand your ground” law, or self-defense, in the shooting. The statute states that a person has “no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground” and can use “deadly force if he or she reasonably believes that using or threatening to use such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.”

Owens was shot June 2, 2023, at 9 p.m. through Lorincz’s front door, which Lorincz stated she had locked, following a confrontation tied to a dispute that had been going on for about two years. The dispute centered on Lorincz’s claims that children, including some of Owens’, who played in a large open grassy area in front of Lorincz’s quadraplex apartment, had a “lack of respect for her peace and privacy” and “Lorincz advised (an investigator) that the children of victim Owens have told her in the past they would kill her,” according to arrest documents.

The night of the shooting, deputies had already been called at 8:54 p.m. by Lorincz, who stated juveniles were “trespassing on her property” and one youth had “threatened to beat her up.”

An arrest document indicates that during the confrontation before the shooting, between Lorincz and some children, including Owens’ children, a tablet was picked up and a roller skate was allegedly thrown by Lorincz, but she denied both actions.

“Lorincz also admitted to swinging an umbrella while Owens’ juvenile children were standing nearby,” the arrest document states.

The arrest document states that Owens and her then 10-year-old child came to Lorincz’s residence and “demanded she come out.”

Lorincz claims she “felt like she was in mortal danger” when she fired the gun as Owens pounded on the outside of the locked door which, Lorincz told an investigator, “had been reinforced with an extra-long deadbolt that was in the locked position at the time victim Owens was beating on the door,” the arrest document stated.

Lorincz told an investigator that Owens was “just beating on the door” and did not indicate Owens was turning the door handle.

“You don’t talk to my sons, I’m going to …. kill you,” Lorincz claimed Owens said.

Lorincz said she “hit” high on the door with the gunshot and “never intended to hit the victim.”

“Lorincz confirmed that she had several interactions with Owens in the past and while they were not friendly, there was never any threats of violence against her by Owens,” the arrest document states.

“Lorincz advised that she did not know who else was beyond the door when she fired the weapon,” the document indicates.

Community response

Rev. Jerone Gamble, president of the Ocala Chapter of the NAACP and moderator emeritus of the Second Bethlehem Baptist Association, said, “We are pleased with the verdict, which gives the family some sense of justice, and we await the sentencing, which we anticipate will be just” in light of the crime.

The hearing for Lorincz, scheduled for Nov. 6, could see her receive a penalty of up to 30 years imprisonment imposed, according to published reports.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said in a written statement that he was “pleased to hear that justice was served.”

“From the hard work of the deputies and detectives to the State Attorney Bill Gladson’s office and eventually to the jurors, everyone worked hard. It takes patience; detectives, along with forensics team members, took meticulous steps to ensure that all of the evidence was collected, and all witnesses were interviewed,” Woods stated.

“While justice ran its course, the sad truth remains that a life was lost. We hope that the family of A.J. Owens can take another step towards peace and closure,” he stated.

Local author and photographer Cynthia Wilson-Graham said she wasn’t surprised by the verdict.

“I was expecting a guilty verdict, but the outcome isn’t finalized until sentencing. No one wins in these types of cases,” she wrote in a text.

An Ocklawaha woman who preferred not to be identified, said “self-defense is one thing but to shoot through a locked (solid) door, not even a screen door? There just too much hate out there.”

A retired Ocala area physician, who preferred anonymity, said the entire situation was apparently the “terrible outcome” of an ongoing dispute.

“I totally agree with the verdict. But my understanding was that bad blood had been brewing for a while and it is a shame that nothing was done to prevent this outcome,” he stated.

An east Marion County small business owner who also asked to not be named said he thought the charges should have been at the level of murder.

Neighborhood reflections

Meanwhile, at Owens’ former neighborhood about 15 miles south of Ocala off County Road 475A, new residents are in Lorincz’s former apartment and also in at least one other nearby unit.

A number of white and Black children were playing outside there on Saturday.

A couple with young children who live near the site of the shooting, who preferred that their names not be released, shared their experience and thoughts on Saturday about Friday’s verdict. Although the man said he didn’t follow the trial, he said that, based on the facts he was aware of, he would’ve “thought the same thing,” that the verdict should be guilty. He called the incident “traumatic” and said he sought peace for his family and felt the verdict might bring some closure to the neighborhood. The woman said she knew of Lorincz scolding many of the young children in the neighborhood for playing in a large grassy field just outside Lorincz’s residence. The woman said she heard Lorincz use racial slurs including use of the “n” word.

Investigators “discussed with Lorincz the allegations of her making racial slurs towards children in the neighborhood and she admitted to having used the “n” word toward children out of anger in the past and also to calling children other derogatory terms,” the arrest document states.

The neighbor woman called the community, which is nestled in a wooded area, a diverse one.

A memorial birthday party was held for Owens in the neighborhood since her death, the woman said, adding that her kids gave her a connection to Owens.

The woman, who stated she administered CPR to Owens after the shooting, said she hopes the verdict brings closure to the family of the victim.

During a canvass of the immediate neighborhood, at least one other party was new to the area and had no knowledge of the incident.

A basket of weathered artificial flowers was still at a mailbox outside the site of the shooting.

Attorney statement

The shooting death saw well known civil rights attorney Ben Crump and activist Rev. Al Sharpton visit Ocala to support the victim’s family and join them at a memorial service at Meadowbrook Church.

Anthony Thomas of Ocala, attorney for the Owens’ family and co-counsel with Crump, stated in a press release following the verdict that he is looking ahead to the sentencing.

“We are pleased with today’s verdict and highly anticipate her (Lorincz) being sentenced to the full extent of the law,” Thomas stated.