Killing of Ajike Owens

Rare card · No. 49640

On June 2, 2023, in Ocala, Florida, 35-year-old Ajike "A.J." Shantrell Owens was shot and killed by her neighbor, 58-year-old Susan Louise Lorincz. Owens had gone to Lorincz's door after an altercation between her children and Lorincz in a grassy area nearby. While Owens stood outside the windowless front door, Lorincz fired a single shot through it, striking Owens in the chest. Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's Office were already en route to the residence in response to a report of "trespassing" when a second 911 call reported gunfire. Upon arrival, officers found Owens on the ground suffering from a gunshot wound. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The shooting drew national attention, igniting renewed debate over Florida's stand-your-ground law and the intersection of race, self-defense, and neighborhood disputes. Civil rights advocates, including attorney Benjamin Crump, argued that Owens's killing underscored systemic...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Marion County Sheriff's Office, Public domain