White Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Fatally Shooting Black Neighbor

60-year-old white Florida woman, Susan Lorincz, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting her Black neighbor.

Lorincz was convicted of manslaughter after she shot 35-year-old mother of four, Ajike “A.J.” Owens in June of 2023.

The two lived next door to each other in Ocala, Florida, and Lorincz regularly instigated arguments, mostly about her perception of the behavior of Owens’ children. Lorincz admitted to yelling racial slurs at Owens’ children on several occasions and, the day of the shooting, she allegedly began throwing items at the children.

On the day in question, Owens and her 10-year-old son approached Lorincz’s front door and, after an exchange of words, Lorincz shot Owens through the door using a handgun.

Lorincz argued self-defense, claiming she feared for her life when Owens approached her door. She hoped she would not be held accountable for killing Owens under Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law, and even admitted to researching the law before the fatal exchange.

According to the Stand Your Ground law, you cannot be convicted of a crime if you “reasonably believe” deadly force is necessary to protect your life or the life of someone else— this is a massive widening of the traditional scope of self-defense.

However, Circuit Judge Robert Hodges determined that the shooting “was completely unnecessary in this case.” He continued, “The shooting, I find, was based more in anger than in fear.”

In a statement made earlier this month, Owens’ family said, “We believe that standing on the right side of history requires holding those who commit racial violence fully accountable for their actions.”