Trial starts for white woman who shot Black neighbor through her door

The Florida woman who shot and killed her neighbor during an argument in 2023 is on trial. A jury will decide whether the 60-year-old white woman, Susan Lorincz, was justified when she fired through the door of her central Florida apartment, killing a Black mother, Ajike “A.J.” Owens, during an ongoing dispute about neighborhood children.

Shortly before Owens was fatally shot, her children had been playing in a small field outside the apartment building where they lived next to Lorincz. Owens went to Lorincz’s apartment and banged on the door after the children claimed Lorincz was harassing them and using racial slurs. That’s when Lorincz fired one bullet through her front door, killing Owens.

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The defense said Lorincz feared Owens would break down her door.

“She was trying to break down my door,” Lorincz said in a call to 911. “I didn’t know what to do. I grabbed my gun, and I shot at the door.”

Opening statements for the trial began on Tuesday, Aug. 13. If Lorincz is charged with manslaughter, she faces up to 30 years in prison.