OCALA, Fla. — The white woman accused of firing the fatal shot through her front door that killed her Black neighbor during a dispute over children playing outside waived her arraignment and entered a written plea of not guilty, according to CBS Miami.
Lorincz is charged with manslaughter with a firearm and assault in connection to the deadly June 2 shooting. At the time, Ajike "AJ" Owens knocked on Lorincz's door after the woman allegedly threw a roller skate at children playing basketball nearby.
Lorincz told investigators that Owens threatened to kill her and banged on the door so hard she feared Owens would break it down, according to investigators. The woman fired a single round from her .380-caliber handgun, the sheriff’s report says, which went through the closed door and fatally struck Owens.
The next court date for Lorincz is likely in September, according to Rhaiza Robles, a spokesperson with Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit Court, CBS Miami reports.
Taken into custody on June 7, a judge granted Lorincz a $154,000 bond while ordering her to wear an ankle monitor and to stay away from Owens' family. At this time, she remains in jail. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison.
Attorneys, family and supporters of Owens have called for upgraded charges including second-degree manslaughter. 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."
“I’m very disappointed,” Tiffany Bess, who has been helping organize demonstrations for AJ Owens, said. “Am I surprised? No.”