A white Florida woman says she fatally shot her black neighbor amid fear for her own life

A white Florida woman told investigators she fired a shot through her door at a black neighbor because she panicked when the other woman banged loudly on her door and threatened her amid an ongoing dispute over the neighbor’s children, according to a video statement played in court Wednesday.

The mother of the woman who was fatally shot denied it, telling reporters at a news conference that Susan Lorincz did not fear for her own life but intended to harm Ajike “AJ” Owens on June 2, 2023 in Ocala, Florida.

Lorincz is on trial for murder in the shooting.

“He set out to cause harm. He set out to kill. That’s exactly what he did,” said Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias. “He has no respect for any form of human life. Let alone my family.”

An all-white jury of six people and two alternates was impaneled Monday to hear evidence, according to the Marion County court clerk. The trial is expected to last all week.

In a recorded interview with Marion County detectives the day of the shooting, Lorincz repeatedly insisted she feared for her life as Owens — who weighed about 290 pounds (130 kilograms), according to an autopsy — pounded on her door and yelled at her. The confrontation occurred after Lorincz allegedly threw roller skates and an umbrella at Owens’ children as they played outside. Lorincz denied throwing anything at the children.

He said he fired a single shot from his .380-caliber handgun through the door, hitting Owens in the chest. Lorincz said he couldn’t see who was outside the door, but that he was just trying to get Owens to “go away.” Owens, 35, was not armed.

“I never intended to kill. I was shaking. I was very distressed at that moment,” Lorincz said in the interview. “I felt like I was in mortal danger.”

The shooting was the latest act in a dispute between Owens, her children and Lorincz over playing in a grassy area near their two homes. In the video statement, Lorincz said she felt harassed by the children for most of the three years she had lived there.

“Every time they see me, they gather around and yell and scream,” Lorincz said, denying allegations that he used racial slurs against the children.

Lorincz, 60, could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of murder. She said frequent confrontations with Owens and her children led her to prop a chair against the door for protection at night.

State Attorney William Gladson said his office considered filing a second-degree murder charge, but prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence that Lorincz had “hatred, spite, ill will or malicious intent” toward Owens. Lorincz was also not immediately charged in the case, prompting protests at the courthouse.

Ocala is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando in central Florida.