Black Florida mom killed by white neighbor remembered for religion, devotion to 4 children

OCALA, Fla. — Civil rights leaders and ministers demanded justice for a Black mom who was fatally shot in entrance of her 9-year-old son by a white neighbor firing by way of the door of her central Florida house throughout a memorial service Monday during which Ajike Owens was remembered for her deep religion and devotion to her youngsters.

During a three-hour service at a church in Ocala, Florida, the Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights legal professional Ben Crump and others linked Owens’ dying to the killings of different Black Americans lately, similar to Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida and George Floyd by the hands of cops in Minneapolis.

“You can’t kill our loved ones, just because of the color of their skin, just because they were living while Black,” Crump stated. “We cannot let them kill our loved ones for just knocking on a door, for loving their children, while Black.”

Owens, a 35-year-old mom of 4 who glided by the nickname “AJ,” was killed June 2 in Ocala, about 83 miles (133 kilometers) north of Orlando. Her neighbor, Susan Louise Lorincz, 58, has been charged with the first-degree felony of manslaughter with a firearm, in addition to culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault.

Neighbors stated Lorincz steadily referred to as neighborhood youngsters who performed exterior her house racial slurs and antagonized them, and that’s what occurred 10 days in the past when she yelled at Owens’ youngsters as they performed close by and threw a pair of skates that hit certainly one of them, based on the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Lorincz advised investigators that she acted in self-defense, and that Owens had been attempting to interrupt down her door earlier than Lorincz fired the gun. But Sheriff Billy Woods stated final week that the investigation, which included eyewitness statements, established that Lorincz’s actions weren’t justifiable beneath Florida regulation. Before Lorincz’s arrest, the sheriff had stated that due to Florida’s “stand your ground” regulation, he couldn’t make an arrest until he might show the shooter didn’t act in self-defense.

Stand your floor and “castle doctrine” instances – which permit residents to defend themselves both by regulation or court docket precedent when threatened – have sparked outrage amid a spate of shootings throughout the nation.

“We are going to stand our ground for the humanity of AJ,” Crump stated. “We are going to stand our ground for justice for AJ.”

Both Crump and Sharpton urged Owens’ youngsters to not blame themselves in any means for what occurred.

“Your mother chose to stand in danger’s way for you,” Sharpton stated. “That’s what mothers do. That is why we celebrate your mother.”

Sharpton criticized Florida’s Republican political leaders for saying little in regards to the case.

Sharpton, a former candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, took explicit purpose at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who not too long ago launched his personal marketing campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. DeSantis has championed sending immigrants from Texas to Democratic-leaning states and signed a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ legal guidelines that spurred essentially the most distinguished homosexual rights group within the U.S. and different civil rights organizations to concern warnings the Sunshine State might now not be protected.

“You get outraged about migrants coming to Texas. You get outraged about those that have a different lifestyle,” Sharpton stated. “But I’ve been checking my Google, I can’t find out: Does DeSantis have laryngitis?”

On a pulpit bedecked with pink and lavender flowers, kinfolk and associates described Owens as a lady of deep religion, who made positive her youngsters had been baptized, and he or she frequently attended church, generally dragging alongside a less-than-willing relative.

Owens’ mom, Pamela Dias, has stated she is going to now increase her 4 younger grandchildren, ranging in age from 3 to 12. They had been promised scholarships by native ministers to traditionally Black schools in Florida in the course of the memorial service.