Authorities waited four days before arresting Susan Lorincz, whose claim of fear was later rejected by a jury in Ajike Owens’ death.
OCALA, Fla. — The fatal shooting of Ajike “A.J.” Owens through a neighbor’s locked front door placed Florida’s self-defense laws at the center of an investigation that initially delayed an arrest and later ended with a manslaughter conviction and a 25-year prison sentence.
Susan Lorincz shot Owens on June 2, 2023, after Owens went to Lorincz’s home following a dispute involving neighborhood children. Lorincz acknowledged firing through the door but told investigators she feared for her life, requiring detectives and prosecutors to examine whether the shooting could be legally justified.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately arrest Lorincz. Investigators spent four days reviewing evidence and her self-defense claim before taking her into custody. The delay angered members of Owens’ family and supporters, who questioned why Lorincz remained free after authorities knew she had fired the fatal shot.
Florida law gives people broad rights to use force in certain circumstances when they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent death or serious bodily harm. Sheriff Billy Woods said investigators had to determine whether those protections applied before making an arrest. He later said the evidence did not support Lorincz’s claim that the shooting was justified.
Investigators said the confrontation came after a long-running dispute between Lorincz and children who played in a grassy area near her home. On the day of the shooting, Owens’ children reported another confrontation with Lorincz. Owens then went to Lorincz’s residence.
Lorincz had already called 911 before the shooting and told a dispatcher that she was afraid. She later reported that she had fired her gun through the door. Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, was struck and later died at a hospital.
The question of fear became central to the criminal case. Lorincz’s lawyers argued that she believed Owens presented a threat outside her home. Prosecutors countered that Lorincz was behind a locked door and did not need to fire. A jury ultimately agreed with prosecutors.
State prosecutors considered but declined to file a second-degree murder charge, saying the evidence was insufficient to prove that offense. Lorincz instead faced manslaughter with a firearm, a charge that still carried the possibility of decades in prison.
After a trial in August 2024, jurors found Lorincz guilty of manslaughter. The verdict rejected the defense argument that the shooting was legally justified by Lorincz’s fear of Owens. The conviction also resolved a question that had shaped the investigation from its opening days: whether firing through the locked door amounted to lawful self-defense.
At sentencing in November 2024, Circuit Judge Robert Hodges imposed a 25-year prison term. He said Lorincz had been in a relatively safe position behind the locked door, had already contacted law enforcement and knew officers were on the way. The judge found that anger, rather than fear, was a stronger factor in the shooting.
The criminal case is now resolved with Lorincz serving her sentence. The sequence from the delayed arrest to the jury’s verdict remains a prominent example of how a self-defense claim can shape the early stages of a Florida shooting investigation without determining the eventual outcome in court.
Author note: Last updated October 15, 2026.