MARION COUNTY, Fla. – The woman accused of shooting and killing her 35-year-old neighbor purchased a gun a year prior “for protection after an altercation” with the victim, an arrest affidavit released Thursday shows.
Susan Lorincz, 58, was arrested Tuesday on charges of manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in the death of Ajike Owens, 35. Owens was shot Friday, moments after going to the apartment of Lorincz, who had yelled at Owens’ children as they played in a nearby lot, according to authorities.
According to the arrest affidavit, Lorincz told investigators that the gun she owned was purchased a year ago after an altercation with Owens. She also said she had several interactions with the victimin the past and “while they were not friendly, there was never any threats of violence against her” by the victim, the affidavit shows.
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Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said during a news conference on Monday that deputies responded over 10 times since January 2021 for a “neighborhood feud” between Owens and Lorincz, who would complain about the children trespassing on her property, though the area was a common area.
Lorincz was angry at children in the neighborhood who were playing in a field close to her apartment, the affidavit said. One of the victim’s children told deputies he left an electronic tablet in the field and went to retrieve it when he saw Lorincz holding it. She threw the tablet and a pair of roller skates at the boy, according to the affidavit. She also used an umbrella to swing toward the child, deputies said.
The affidavit shows Owens went to the suspect’s home to confront her about harming the child and was banging on the door with her son beside her when Lorincz fired at her through the door from her kitchen.
When investigators asked Lorincz what she was aiming at, she said she was fearful of her life and thinking, “Go away, get out of this situation, just go away already,” according to the affidavit. She claimed she fired the gun because she felt she was in “mortal danger.” Multiple witnesses told deputies they did not hear Lorincz respond to Owens when she was at her door.
The affidavit shows deputies interviewed some children who were playing in the field before the shooting and were told Lorincz came outside at one point to record them while “giving the kids the middle finger.”
A neighbor of Lorincz’s said the 58-year-old would often be upset by “kids being kids” and playing outside near her home, the affidavit said.
Several people told investigators Lorincz used racial slurs and harassed the children often. One neighbor said they no longer let their child play in the field because of Lorincz. Deputies asked Lorincz during an interview about the allegations and she admitted to “having used the n-word toward children out of anger in the past,” according to the affidavit.
Lorincz appeared in court Thursday morning for the first time and is being held on no-bond status.
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