On “The ReidOut” this week, we’ve been closely following developments related to the killing of Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Black mother of four who authorities say was fatally shot through a closed door by a white neighbor in Ocala, Florida.
The shooting was Friday. An arrest wasn’t made until Tuesday.
The charges against Susan Louise Lorincz include manslaughter, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said. In a defensive video statement, the sheriff also tried to respond to criticism over the delay before Lorincz was placed in custody. The arrest came after protesters pressured authorities to hold Lorincz accountable.
According to NBC News, authorities say Lorincz, 58, was angry over Owens’ children playing in a nearby field and “engaged in an argument” with the children. According to the sheriff’s office, Lorincz threw a roller skate at Owens’ 10-year-old son and swung an umbrella at him and a sibling. Authorities say Owens, 35, approached Lorincz’s apartment and knocked on the door before she was shot through the door.
Responding to criticism over how long it took for an arrest, Woods said in his video: “Here’s the thing about justice. She’s on her own time — not my time, not a prosecutor’s time, not even a mob’s time.”
The sheriff seems to be a bit choosy when it comes to urgency. In April, he doubled down on his controversial sharing of names and photos of juvenile suspects on social media.
“If the law allows me, I’ll plaster their face up on this page, up on my page, up on media; I will hand it out if the law allows me, because parents have the right to know who their kids are hanging out with and preventing this,” Woods said at the time.
As for Lorincz’s arrest, the sheriff said the delay was caused by having to interview witnesses to determine whether her actions were protected by Florida’s widely criticized “stand your ground” law, which allows people to use fatal force to defend themselves if they reasonably…
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