A Florida woman who fatally shot her neighbor through a closed front door after a dispute with the victim’s children has been granted bond.
Susan Lorincz, a 58-year-old White woman, was given a $154,000 bond by a federal judge on Friday, a day after pleading not guilty to a first-degree felony charge of manslaughter with a firearm in the death of Ajike Owens, a 34-year-old Black mother of four.
Lorincz was ordered to wear an ankle monitor and to stay away from the Owens family as part of her bond condition. Lorincz told the judge that she had only $1,700 to post, FOX35 Orlando reported.
On June 2, Lorincz fired a single round from her .380-caliber handgun, which went through her closed door of her Ocala residence and fatally struck Owens, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s report.
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Susan Lorincz, 58, appeared in court Friday for a bond hearing. A judge set her bond at $154,000. (Marion County Sheriffs Office)
Owens had knocked on Lorincz’s front door after the 58-year-old had a dispute with her children, who had been playing in a lot near Lorincz’s home. Lorincz had become angry and threw a pair of roller skates at the kids, hitting one on a foot, the sheriff’s office said.
Lorincz claimed the shooting was in self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, saying that Owens had threatened to kill her and banged on her door so hard she feared Owens would break it down. Investigators delayed her arrest for several days while investigating the claims.
A patched bullet hole, upper right, is seen on a door Tuesday, where Ajike Owens was shot and killed moments after going to the apartment of her neighbor who had yelled at Owens’ children as they played in a nearby lot, in Ocala, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods on Tuesday said an investigation revealed that Lorincz’s actions did not apply under Florida law, calling it “simply a killing.”
Susan Lorincz, 58, was arrested Tuesday on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in the death of Ajike Owens, authorities said. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
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Woods said that since January 2021, deputies responded to at least a half-dozen complaints between Lorincz and Owens, describing the situation as a longstanding “neighborhood feud.”
Lorincz told investigators she had problems for two years with being disrespected by children in the neighborhood — including Owens’ children, who are ages 12, 9, 7 and 3. She told investigators that she had called Owens’ children racist slurs in the months before the killing.
This booking image provided by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office shows Susan Lorincz, center, after her arrest in Ocala, Fla., Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Lorincz is accused of fatally shooting her neighbor, Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four. (Marion County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Lorincz also faces charges of culpable negligence, battery and assault.
An attorney for the Owens family said that they would continue to push for Lorincz to face a more serious charge of second-degree murder.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
