AJ Owens' shooter's identity and photo revealed as family of victim demands justice
AJ Owens, a black single mother of four, was shot and killed in front of her children on June 2 by her neighbor. The suspect's identity has allegedly surfaced online. The Ocala, Florida resident was shot through the door by her 58-year-old neighbor due to disputes that arose from Owens' kids playing in the yard. An arrest has not yet been made in the case as a police state "stand your ground" law.
AJ Owens' cousin, Jai Riggins, posted a video on TikTok on her account, @jairiggins, that allegedly revealed the face and name of the woman who shot and killed AJ Owens. The video, which has amassed over 167,000 views, was reposted on Twitter and Instagram by multiple people.
Riggins, whose Instagram handle goes @jai_michelle, also posted an Instagram story that revealed the face of the alleged shooter and her name, Susan Louise Lorincz. Susan's name was also revealed in a press conference by AJ's mother, Pamela Dias. Calls for her arrest have grown intense among AJ's family, friends, and community members.
Jai Riggins also posted an Instagram story of the alleged killer being escorted back home by the police. The story also revealed that the woman allegedly took down AJ Owen's memorial.
AJ Owens' family said her kids were playing in a field near an apartment complex when their neighbor, Susan Lorincz, called them racial slurs and yelled at them to get off her land. The kids ran away but accidentally forgot to take an iPad, which the lady took. When AJ's 10-year-old boy came back to retrieve it, she threw a skate at the child.
The kid told his mother, and AJ Owens, whose full name is Ajike Shantrell Owens, made her way across the street to Susan's front door and knocked to enquire about what had happened. Susan shot through the closed door while AJ's kids watched in horror. AJ Owens was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“What we have to rule out is whether the deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest”: Sheriff Billy Woods on AJ Owens' shooting
Marion County, Florida, Sheriff Billy Woods revealed in a June 5 news conference that authorities had responded to a trespassing call on Friday night (June 2) to find one woman suffering from a gunshot wound.
In response to criticism of not making an arrest, the Sheriff responded that the case was complicated due to Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law that allows people to engage with force if they believe that they or someone else was in danger. He said:
“Any time that we think, or perceive or believe that that might come into play, we cannot make an arrest, the law specifically says that.”
He added:
“What we have to rule out is whether the deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest.”
Before vowing to the victim's family that he would do everything he can to ensure Justice, the Sheriff also expressed that he wished the situation had not ended like this. He said:
"I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking action into her own hands. I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in hopes we could have never got to the point in which we are here today."
The authorities did not reveal the shooter's identity but stated that she had been cooperative.
"She is an amazing testament to all mothers in this world.": AJ Owens' mother
AJ Owens' mother, Pamela Dias, stated in an interview with MSNBC that this was not the first incident involving this particular neighbor, as confrontations with her had happened numerous times. Sheriff Billy Woods also confirmed in a press conference that police had been called to the address around six to eight times in two and a half years.
Pamela Dias told MSNBC that AJ Owens was an amazing soccer mom that lived for her kids. She said:
"My daughter was an amazing mom. She lived for her children. She was active, she was a cheer mom, she was a football mom. She made sacrifices so they could attend private school. She was a manager in the restaurant industry."
She added:
"Honestly, I don't even know how she did it. She is an amazing testament to all mothers in this world."
On June 6, 2023, the family and friends of AJ Owens held a press conference to demand Justice for AJ. Pamela Dias narrated what had happened and revealed that Susan Lorincz had harassed her grandchildren by calling them profanities like "The N-Word," "The B-Word," and "Slaves" before taking the life of her daughter, who never posed any imminent threat to anyone.
One of AJ's friends also spoke in the press conference about how the landlord had allowed children to play on the field as long as they cleaned up after themselves. Therefore, as a tenant, Susan did not have the authority to ask them to leave. She also stated that the community will not sleep or rest until justice was served.
Ajike's son also took the mic to thank everyone for coming out for his mother.
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Shreya Das