OCALA, Fla. — The family of Ajike "AJ" Owens, the Black woman shot and killed by her neighbor when she stood outside her front door on June 2 in Ocala, Florida, is calling for prosecutors to upgrade the charges against the White woman, Susan Lorincz, from manslaughter to second-degree murder, according to media outlets.
The call came during a virtual press conference Tuesday, according to USA Today, just a day after Lorincz, 58, was formally charged with one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault. She was placed under arrest on June 8 after allegedly shooting Owens through a closed front door in their Ocala neighborhood in front of her 9-year-old son.
State Attorney William Gladson said his office contemplated filing a second-degree murder charge but that prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence that Lorincz had “hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent” toward Owens.
The attorney for the Owens family, Anthony Thomas, told ABC News in a statement that the family was "deeply disappointed" by the charges, the news outlet reports. The family said though, "Our resolve remains unwavering and we will continue to fight."
If convicted, Lorincz could face up to 30 years in prison. At the time that she was charged with manslaughter, Amanda Sizemore, Lorincz's attorney from the public defender's office, said her client had no comment at this time.
Following the shooting on June 2, 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.
According to an arrest report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Lorincz said she had a headache the day of the shooting and that children were running and yelling outside her apartment. That night, while a few children were playing basketball, Lorincz threw a pair of roller skates at them, hitting one on the feet.
Owens then came over and knocked on her door. Lorincz told investigators that Owens threatened to kill her and banged on the door so hard she feared Owens would break it down.
Lorincz fired a single round from her .380-caliber handgun, the sheriff’s report says, which went through the closed door and fatally struck Owens.
A judge has granted Lorincz a $154,000 bond while ordering her to wear an ankle monitor and to stay away from Owens' family.