OCALA, Fla. – A white woman accused of shooting her Black neighbor to death through a closed window said she purchased the handgun that was used in the murder about a month ago, after they had argued.
According to an addendum that was filed in court on Thursday, the woman, Susan Louise Lorincz told investigators she had called children from the neighborhood the N-word before “out of anger.” This case has attracted national attention, and questions have been raised about race and Florida’s “ Stand Your Ground” self-defense laws.
Authorities said Lorincz and the victim Ajike “AJ”, Owens had a “neighborhood dispute” over Owens’s children playing on a field near Lorincz’s rented house.
Lorincz claimed that she “had a problem” for two years with the children “due their disrespect for her privacy and peace,” according to the document. The affidavit also states that Lorincz claimed the children had threatened her with death.
According to the affidavit she told investigators that she purchased a Remington.380 caliber gun “for protection” after an altercation with Owens. It is unclear when the alleged incident occurred. Lorincz owns a Ruger.22 caliber, according to the affidavit.
Attorneys representing the Owens family have not responded to a comment request made on Thursday.
According to the affidavit, there was only one prior incident between the two women. In February 2022 Lorincz claimed that Owens had come to her house and confronted about an argument her children were having with Lorincz.
The article says that Lorincz was upset because of the young people who lived in her apartment.
Lorincz claimed that Owens tore a metal sign off the ground, threw it at Lorincz and hit her leg. Authorities said that Owens claimed she had thrown the sign as she left, but not at Lorincz. No one was arrested.
Owens’s children were playing in the field on Friday night, the day of the shooting.
Lorincz said that she had told the children that they should leave, and then threw roller skates into the yard. She told one child to “fetch” them. She claimed that she didn’t throw the skates in anyone’s direction, but “just threw the skates in the backyard because the juveniles left items in her yard,” according to the affidavit.
Ben Crump, the Owens’ family representative, stated that one of the Owens children had left an iPad behind while leaving. He claimed that Lorincz had taken it, an accusation she denies in the affidavit.
The sheriff’s department said that Owens visited Lorincz at her home. Lorincz claimed Owens “started pounding on her door, while yelling ‘I am going to f —— murder you! The affidavit states that investigators did not hear Owens make the threat to kill Lorincz.
The affidavit states that Lorincz stated “Owens shook the door so violently, she thought it was going to fall off.” She said she was panicking and thought, “Oh my God, she’s going to kill her this time.” At that point Lorincz stated that she fired a round with her handgun. She said she took the gun from her bedroom trashcan, where she usually stores it.
When asked if she thought Owens tried to enter her home, Lorincz told investigators that “she was trying as much as she could”, according to the affidavit.
“I asked Lorincz if she meant that she was trying to open the door, and Lorincz replied she was simply beating the door. Lorincz told me she shouted through the door to the victim that he was trespassing,” the report says.
Lorincz claimed that she fired the shot from the kitchen. Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four who was shot in the upper chest, died at a local hospital.
Lorincz was arrested on Tuesday for manslaughter, battery, and culpable neglect.
According to court documents, she made her first appearance in court via video on Thursday and entered a not guilty written plea. Lorincz stated that she had worked until two weeks prior to the hearing and did not have any savings. She also said that she helped care for her sister. Her attorney was not available for comment on Thursday.
Lorincz, according to several residents, has a history of using racial epithets and harassing children on the field. Sharna Mozell told NBC News that Lorincz would call the police if the children were harassed.
Lorincz used to “come outside and record them constantly.” She’ll flick them off as she records the children, calling out their names,” says Mozell. The mother of four kids ages 10-19 said that Lorincz “used to come outside, and she used to record them constantly.”
She said that Lorincz bullied children, and she was known as ” KAREN” in the neighborhood. This is a sarcastic name for a woman of color who harasses them and has a bad reputation for racism. Mozell’s youngest daughter said that Lorincz recorded them and then contacted authorities for the simple act of playing.
Mozell’s daughter told her that she would hear “Mama, Karen has called the police today.”
According to the Thursday addendum, Lorincz confessed to investigators she used “other derogatory words” to describe children in addition to racial epithets.
Phyllis Wills (33), said that “everyone in this neighborhood has a feud” with Lorincz about their children.
She claimed that Lorincz was not happy with children being children.
