A Florida woman has been arrested in the US state of Florida for fatally shooting a neighbor after protesters demanded her arrest for an alleged racist offence, local authorities said.
Sheriff Billy Woods of Marion County, Ocala, told the Associated Press that “Susan Lorincz, 58, white … was arrested on charges of killing Ajike Owens, 35, African-American.”
According to the Associated Press, authorities were under pressure from protesters demanding the arrest of Susan Lorincz, who last Friday fired a gun at the front door of the house, killing a neighbor outside.
When questioned, Lorincz claimed that he acted in “self-defense” and that Owens had already tried to break down his door. She added that Owens had already chased her in the past and that he had already attacked her.
Through the investigation, including obtaining witness statements, detectives were able to establish that Lorincz’s actions were not justifiable “under Florida law” (protection of property), a statement from the sheriff’s office says.
About three dozen protesters, mostly African-American, gathered in front of the Marion County Judicial Center to demand Lorincz’s arrest.
State Attorney General William Gladson met with protest organizers and called for calm while the investigation continues.
Among the protesters, the Rev. Bernard Tuggerson said the African-American community in Ocala, north of Floria, has suffered “injustice for years.”
“The county is hurting and it needs to be fully healed,” he said, demanding answers about the crime.
The sheriff said Owens was shot moments after she went to the neighbor’s apartment, who “had yelled at Owens’ children” as they played in a field next to the houses.
Before the shooting, Susan Lorincz reportedly yelled “racial slurs at children,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the victim’s family.
The sheriff also said that since January 2021, deputies have responded to at least six calls related to what police described as “fights between Owens and the woman who shot him.”
“There was a lot of aggression from both sides, whether it was banging on doors, banging on walls, and making threats. And that’s when Owens was shot through the door,” the sheriff said.
Source: TSF
