On June 2, 2023, in Ocala, Florida, 35-year-old Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens[1] was shot and killed by her neighbor, 58-year-old Susan Lorincz.
Since January 2021, deputies had responded to about half a dozen calls concerning an ongoing neighborhood feud involving the parties.
They reported that during the argument Lorincz threw a roller skate at the children, hitting one of them in the foot, and also swung an umbrella at another one of them.
Chief prosecutor and state attorney William Gladson, met with protestors and urged them to be calm, indicating that the investigation was still on-going and they did not want to compromise it.
[6] After conducting interviews, and reviewing surveillance footage and digital evidence, the police arrested Lorincz on June 7, 2023, and charged her with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.
[3][9][12] On the matter of whether Florida's Stand Your Ground law applied, Sheriff Billy Woods said in a press conference that "This situation is a prime example of when it was not justified.
[15] The GoFundMe page that was set up by the Owens family after the shooting indicated that they had partnered with national advocacy groups to promote changing of Stand Your Ground laws.
After Lorincz's sentencing, Owens' mother and her friend started a fund called Standing In The Gap to provide financial support for families affected by racial violence.