(CNN) — A Florida woman charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of her neighbor, a black mother who confronted her during a dispute over children playing outside, told police in a 911 call that she felt threatened moments before she kill the mother of four children, according to authorities.
Marion County, Florida officials have issued seven 911 calls since June 2, when authorities say Susan Louise Lorincz fatally shot Ajike “AJ” Owens through the front door of Lorincz’s home, near from Ocala, Florida. Before the incident, Owens repeatedly knocked on her door, the Marion County Sheriff’s Department Office said.
Owens knocked on the door and demanded Lorincz leave his apartment after the white woman, 58, yelled at Owens’ children and threw roller skates at her 10-year-old son, hitting him, the police said. Sheriff’s office.
In addition to manslaughter with a firearm, Lorincz faces charges of negligence, battery and two more counts of assault, the Sheriff’s Office said last week. Lorincz remains in custody and was set on $154,000 bail.
When contacted by CNN, a lawyer for Lorincz said she had no comment on the case at this time.
Two of the 911 calls were made by Lorincz before and moments after he killed Owens, while several other calls came as police were on the scene. Those calls reported possible gunshots in the area, according to an arrest affidavit. Information about callers was edited out of all recordings.
On her first call, Lorincz complained to a dispatcher about children she said were on her property.
“I have children trespassing. Leaving all his toys around. Just yelling, yelling, he’s being absolutely disgusting,” she said. “I went and threw the skate to the other side, the boy says that he is going to hit me for that and he is yelling at me. I feel threatened in my own home.”
“There are several children out there right now. I fear for my life. I am very scared,” Lorincz continued.
During that call, the operator told Lorincz to keep his doors and windows closed and informed him that an agent would be dispatched, according to the recording. A few minutes later, as deputies were driving to the scene, several other 911 calls reported gunshots in that same area, according to the affidavit.
Pamela Dias, the mother of Ajike Owens, center, places roses on the coffin during Owens’ funeral on June 12, 2023. (Credit: Alan Youngblood/AP)
Lorincz threw skates at boy, affidavit says
One of Owens’ sons told an agent that he had been playing basketball in the street while his younger brother, 10, played in the nearby field, according to the affidavit. The boy told the agent that his younger sister told her that he had left an electronic tablet in the field and said that Lorincz had picked it up.
When the 10-year-old boy asked Lorincz to return the tablet, the woman threw it to the ground and yelled at him, she told police. The boy claimed Lorincz threw the skates at him, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit says the older boy told his younger brother to tell their mother what happened, and then walked up to Lorincz’s front door and yelled, “You want to throw something, throw it at me!”
Lorincz came out of his home and told him he was trespassing and waved an umbrella in his direction, according to the affidavit.
One of the children went to find his mother, Owens, the affidavit says.
“Shortly thereafter, the victim approached Lorincz’s front door and banged on the door, yelling for Lorincz to throw something at him if he wanted to throw anything at her,” the affidavit reads.
On her second 911 call, Lorincz recalled the shooting to the operator as her voice trembled.
“Oh my gosh. This lady just tried to break down my door. I shot through the door. Oh my gosh,” he said.
“The woman was screaming and yelling at me trying to break down my door. Not know what to do. I grabbed my gun and fired at the door because I thought she was going to kill me,” Lorincz continued.
The older boy then heard a “loud bang” and saw his mother “stumble” away from the door as she told him to call 911, according to information obtained by an agent, which is stated in the affidavit.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Owens on the ground and transported her to a hospital, where she later died.
Lorincz alleges self-defense, says he felt in “danger” before shooting
Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, was arrested on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, negligence, battery and two counts of assault, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said. (Credit: Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
According to an arrest affidavit, Lorincz told investigators she was acting in self-defense, saying she thought Owens was trying to break down her door and that she heard the victim threatening to kill her.
Lorincz said he discharged his firearm because he “felt he was in ‘mortal danger,'” the document says.
Detectives, however, determined that Lorincz’s actions were “not justifiable under Florida law,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
In the days after the slaying, Owens’ family had repeatedly called for the attacker’s arrest and indictment, insisting the incident was neither provoked nor justified.
They also accused Lorincz of harassing the children and using racial slurs at them.
When Lorincz was questioned by investigators about allegations that she referred to neighborhood children with racial slurs, “Lorincz admitted to using the *N* word towards the children out of anger in the past and also calling the children other names.” derogatory terms,” the affidavit reads.
Last week, a judge set his bond at $150,000 for the felony charge and another $4,000 for four misdemeanor counts. Lorincz, who told the court she could only post $1,700 bail, is unemployed and owns $3,000 worth of personal property.
The state requested a $200,000 bond.
The owner of the apartment where Lorincz lives told detectives she was going to be evicted, according to a prosecutor, and the judge recommended that Lorincz not return there. Her arraignment is scheduled for July 11, according to court records.
A judge ruled that if Lorincz posts bail, he will not be allowed to possess a firearm or any other weapon, nor will he be allowed to have any contact with the victim’s family. The ruling says that if she returns to her apartment to collect her belongings, she will have to have someone accompany her. She is allowed to live in her apartment as long as she is not evicted. Lorincz will also have to wear an ankle monitor.
— CNN’s Jennifer Henderson, Elizabeth Wolfe and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
