Family of Ajike "AJ" Owens continues fight for justice with "righteous outrage" rally
The family of Ajike “AJ” Owens and members of the Ocala, Florida, community are not standing by idly as they await justice for the beloved mother of four. On Saturday (July 8), a crowd of supporters, including faith and civil rights leaders, gathered in her honor for the “National Day of Righteous Outrage for AJ” at Kingdom Revival Church in Central Florida.
As previously reported by REVOLT, Owens, who was Black, was fatally shot through a closed front door by her white neighbor, Susan Lorincz, on June 2. The mother was killed when she and one of her sons went to confront Lorincz about a tablet she had allegedly taken from the kids. The 58-year-old is also allegedly accused of referring to Owens’ children with racial slurs and throwing skates at them before the confrontation.
Pamela Dias, AJ’s mother, expressed gratitude for the show of support. “It is with great pleasure that I stand before all of you because you all continue to fight for justice for my daughter,” said the grieving grandmother.
In the weeks since her untimely death, several protests have taken place. At Saturday’s rally, family attorney Anthony Thomas said, “We pray that the judge, prosecutors, and everyone involved do their due diligence to make sure and ensure that Susan receives the maximum penalty for what she’s done.” Lorincz was charged with one count each of manslaughter and assault. If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison.
“As deplorable as the defendant’s actions were in this case, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second-degree murder,” said State Attorney Bill Gladson in a statement announcing his office’s decision to not pursue murder charges. She is currently being held at the Marion County Jail on a $154,000 bond. She is expected to appear in court on Tuesday (July 11), reports WFTV 9.
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