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Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, who is white, was arrested on charges of manslaughter in the death of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There are candles, a teddy bear and flowers left behind in a make-shift memorial. Mementos and tributes to a Marion County mother lost to gun violence.
It’s also the spot where one man says he performed CPR to try and save her life.
“Coming out here and seeing this, I’m still going through flashbacks, but I had her literally in my hands,” explained Franklyn Coln. “We tried, we tried to literally do everything, not just for her but her kids. Knowing that your mom got shot in front of you, that’s something else and then the lady coming back out and showing herself what is that is not human.”
Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, who is white, was arrested on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in the death of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four, Sheriff Billy Woods said in a statement.
She is accused of shooting Owens through her front door.
Coln says neighbors have had problems with the woman in the past. He says she didn’t like when kids played in this area and frequently called the police. He says he and other parents told their kids to ignore Lorincz and continue playing but didn’t expect her to take it this far.
He says the neighborhood hasn’t been the same since Owens was killed and kids haven’t come back out to play.
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Authorities came under pressure Tuesday to arrest and charge Lorincz, who fired through her front door and killed Owens in a case that has put Florida’s divisive stand your ground law back into the spotlight.
Deputies responded to a trespassing call Friday night found Owens with gunshot wounds.
Lorincz told investigators that she acted in self-defense, and that Owens had been trying to break down her door before she fired the gun, the Sheriff Woods said. She also told them that Owens had come after her in the past, and had previously attacked her.
Sheriff Woods said the investigation, which included eyewitness statements, established that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable under Florida law. Woods says the incident was a culmination of what the sheriff described as a 2½-year feud.
“Now many of you were struggling to understand why there was not an immediate arrest,” the sheriff said. “The laws here in the state of Florida are clear. Now I may not like them. I may not agree with them. But however, those laws I will follow.”
Jail records show she was booked, but did not list a lawyer who could speak on her behalf. It wasn’t immediately clear when she would make her first court appearance.
