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Oct 10, 2023

Florida woman who fatally shot a Black neighbor hurled racial slurs at victim's children, affidavit says

A Florida woman who fatally shot a Black neighbor during a dispute over

A Florida woman who fatally shot a Black neighbor during a dispute over kids playing outside admitted hurling racial slurs at the children and told detectives the victim threatened to kill her, according to an arrest affidavit.

The affidavit was released before bond for Susan Louise Lorincz was set at $154,000 on Friday.

Lorincz, a 58-year-old White woman, was arrested on a charge of manslaughter Tuesday, four days after investigators say she fatally shot Ajike "AJ" Owens through the front door of Lorincz's home near Ocala, Florida, as Owens repeatedly knocked on her door, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.

The arrest affidavit released from the sheriff's Office said Lorincz became "angry" that neighborhood children, including the children of the victim, were playing near her home.

The affidavit detailed interviews with witnesses whose names are redacted. Two witnesses are believed to be some of the victim's children.

One of Owens’ sons told a deputy he’d been playing basketball in the street while his younger 10-year-old brother played in the nearby field, according to the affidavit. The child told the deputy his younger brother informed him that he had left an electronic tablet in the field and said Lorincz had picked it up.

When the 10-year-old asked Lorincz to return the tablet, he told the deputy, the woman threw it to the ground and yelled at him. The child claimed Lorincz threw roller skates at him, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit says the older child said he told his younger sibling to tell their mother what was going on, and then he approached Lorincz's front door and yelled, "You want to throw something, throw it at me!" Lorincz came out of her home and told him he was trespassing and swung an umbrella in his direction, the affidavit stated.

"Shortly after, the victim approached Lorincz’ front door and banged on the door, yelling for Lorincz to throw something at her if she wanted to throw something," the affidavit said.

The older child then heard a "loud bang" and witnessed his mother "stumbling" away from the door while telling him to call 911, according to information obtained by a deputy, which is laid out in the affidavit.

The defendant painted a different picture of events in her interview with a sheriff's deputy, according to the affidavit.

Lorincz told the deputy she’d been having problems with the "same juveniles" for the past years "due to their lack of respect for her peace and privacy," the affidavit stated. Lorincz also told the deputy that Owens’ children had told her "they would kill her" in the past, according to the affidavit.

Lorincz denied picking up a tablet or throwing roller skates at anyone in her interview with the deputy, the affidavit states. But she acknowledged throwing roller skates in the yard and telling the children to "go fetch them." She also admitted that it was possible she had swung an umbrella near one of the children, but wouldn't have hit them, according to the court document.

On the night of the shooting, Lorincz told the deputy that after she told all the children to leave, Owens suddenly appeared at her door and started banging on it while yelling, "I’m going to f**king kill you!"

Owens was banging on her door with so much force, Lorincz told the deputy, that she panicked, stating "Oh my god she's really going to kill me this time," according to the affidavit.

Then, Lorincz said, she retrieved her handgun and fired a single shot through the door, telling the deputy she was afraid for her life, the affidavit stated. The defendant also told the deputy she "never intended to hit the victim when she fired the gun and thought she ‘hit’ really high when she shot."

Neighbors interviewed by sheriff's deputies revealed a history of negative interactions between Lorincz and children in the neighborhood, with one saying the White woman was "always yelling at the children who play in the area and calls in false reports on them," according to the affidavit.

The court document quotes Owens’ younger child as saying Lorincz had called him and other children "bastards" and "jackasses," and, at one time stated, "This isn't the underground railroad, slave."

Children of Black Florida mother who was killed after knocking on neighbor's door consumed with guilt over her death

A neighbor told deputies that the night of the shooting, Lorincz came out of her home and gave the children playing in the field the middle finger and yelled, "Get away from my house, you black slave," the affidavit said.

In a second interview with law enforcement, the affidavit said the defendant acknowledged using racial slurs toward children in the past.

"Lorincz admitted to having used the n-word toward children out of anger in the past and also calling children other derogatory terms," the detective noted in the affidavit.

When reached by CNN, Lorincz's attorney Amanda Sizemore said she has no comment on the case at this time.

A judge on Friday set bond at $150,000 for the felony charge and another $4,000 for four misdemeanor counts. Lorincz told the court she could only afford a bond of $1,700.

She also said she is unemployed and owns about $3,000 worth of furniture.

The state requested a $200,000 bond.

The owner of the apartment where Lorincz lives told detectives she was being evicted, according to a prosecutor – and the judge recommended Lorincz not return there.

In addition to manslaughter with a firearm, Lorincz is facing charges of culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault, the sheriff's office said early Wednesday.

If Lorincz posts bond, she will not be allowed to possess a firearm or any other weapon, nor is she allowed to have any contact with the victim's family. If she returns to her apartment to gather belongings, she will have to have someone accompany her. She is allowed to live in her apartment as long as she isn't evicted. Lorincz will also have to wear an ankle monitor.

It's been 4 days since Ajike 'AJ' Owens was fatally shot after knocking on a neighbor's door. Here's what we know

Lorincz made an initial court appearance via video call on Thursday. She told the court she has no savings, is making payments on a car, and had filed for disability after working at UnitedHealthcare. She said she last worked two weeks ago and that she supports her 55-year-old sister.

In the days since the killing, Owens’ family had repeatedly called for the arrest and charging of the shooter, insisting the incident was unprovoked and unjustified.

Though the arrest has brought Owens’ family some relief, one of her sons is grappling with remorse because he was the one who told his mother about Lorincz's confrontation with the children, the family said.

"He witnessed his mother shot and killed. In his soul, and his heart, it's his fault that his older brother, his baby sister, and his baby brother, as well as himself, will never see their mother again," Pamela Dias, Owens’ mother, said of the young boy.

Another child also blamed himself because he was unable to perform CPR on his mother, Dias said.

"Grandma, grandma. I couldn't save her," Dias recalled the 12-year-old boy telling her.

A funeral service will be held for Owens on Monday, according to a family attorney.

CNN's Ray Sanchez, Denise Royal, Carlos Suarez and Tina Burnside contributed to this report.