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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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A trial involving a white woman who is charged with fatally shooting her Black neighbor began this week.
On Tuesday, a jury in Florida heard opening statements relating to the incident involving Susan Lorincz and Ajike "A.J." Owens.
Owens was fatally shot on June 2, 2023, and Lorincz was charged in the crime by police. During the opening statements, jurors were told that Owens was fatally shot by Lorincz while her children were playing outside near her apartment in Ocala, Florida.
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According to the Associated Press (AP), Lorincz told investigators that she went outside after hearing the children running and yelling near her apartment. Upon seeing skates on the ground, she picked them up and threw them at the children.
Afterwards, Owens, the mother of some of the children involved, went over to Lorincz's apartment to speak about the incident. In their opening statements, lawyers said that Owens became upset over the way Lorincz handled the situation.
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"A.J. was pounding, and she was cursing," Lorincz's defense attorney, Morris Carranza told jurors, per the AP.
Carranza also alleged that Owens had threatened his client, prompting her to fear that Owens could break down her door.
In response, prosecutors on the case claimed that Lorincz's door was locked during the incident.
Carranza then said that Lorincz feared for her life and "in her mind, in her soul and in her core that she had no choice" but to fire a bullet from her .380-caliber handgun.
WESH 2 News in Florida reported that on a 911 call, Lorincz was heard saying: "She was trying to break down my door. I didn't know what to do. I grabbed my gun, and I shot at the door."
Yvonne Costa, who lived in the apartment adjacent to Lorincz, testified Tuesday that she heard loud voices just before the shooting, but she couldn't make out what was being said.
"The wall in between our two apartments started shaking," Costa testified. "It was very loud. And it scared me."
Shortly after the banging began, Costa said she heard a loud shot ring through her apartment. She immediately ran to her bedroom and called the police.
Lorincz is currently facing a manslaughter charge, which could carry a punishment of up to 30 years in prison.
State Attorney William Gladson previously revealed that his office considered filing a second-degree murder charge but ultimately decided against it. Prosecutors determined there wasn't enough evidence to prove that Lorincz acted with "hatred, spite, ill will, or evil intent" toward Owens.
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