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White woman claims she fatally shot Black neighbor out of fear, while victim’s mother says “she set out to kill”
A White woman in Florida told investigators she fired a shot through her door at a Black neighbor because she panicked as the other woman pounded heavily on her door and threatened her amid an ongoing dispute over the neighbor’s children, according to a video statement played in court Wednesday.
The mother of the woman who was fatally shot disputed that, telling reporters at a news conference that the suspect, Susan Lorincz, was not in fear for her own life but was intent on harming Ajike “A.J.” Owens on June 2, 2023, in Ocala, Florida.
Lorincz is on trial for manslaughter in the shooting.
“She set out to cause harm. She set out to kill. That’s exactly what she did,” said Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias. “She has no regard for any form of human life. Certainly, not my family.”
An all-White, six-person jury with two alternates was seated Monday to hear the evidence, according to the Marion County court clerk. The trial is expected to last all week.
In a recorded interview with Marion County detectives the day of the shooting, Lorincz insisted repeatedly she was in fear for her life as Owens — who weighed about 290 pounds, according to an autopsy — pounded on her door and yelled at her. The confrontation happened after Lorincz allegedly threw skates and an umbrella at Owens’ children as they played outside. Lorincz denied throwing anything at the kids.
“Was your goal to shoot and kill her?” a detective asked Lorincz, CBS affiliate WKMG-TV reported.
“No,” she replied.
“What was your goal?”
“To shoot and hopefully, you know, she’ll hear the shot and dissipate,” Lorincz said.
She said she fired a single shot with her .380-caliber handgun through the door, striking Owens in the chest. Lorincz said she could not see who was outside the door but was just trying to get Owens to “go away.” Owens, 35, was not armed.
Jurors saw measurements from inside Lorincz’s home, WKMG-TV reported. Prosecutors say those measurements prove Lorincz was not in her kitchen when she pulled the trigger.
“I was never intending to kill. I was shaking. I was just so distraught at that point in time,” Lorincz said in the interview. “I felt like I was in mortal danger.”
The shooting was the final act in a dispute between Owens, her children and Lorincz over their playing in a grassy area near both of their homes. In the video statement, Lorincz said she felt harassed by the children for most of the three years she had lived there.
“Every time they see me, they get together and scream and yell,” Lorincz said, denying accusations that she used racial slurs against the children.
Lorincz, 60, faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter. She said the frequent confrontations with Owens and her children led her to jam a chair against the door as protection at night.
State Attorney William Gladson has said his office contemplated filing a second-degree murder charge but that prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence that Lorincz had “hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent” toward Owens. Lorincz also was not charged immediately in the case, leading to protests at the courthouse.
Ocala is about 80 miles northwest of Orlando in central Florida.
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How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears NFL game today: Livestream options, more
The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears today. The Vikings are currently 8-2, an impressive run so far this season, and will be looking to add a fourth win to their current streak after last Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears, on the other hand, are entering this game on the heels of a four-game losing streak after a tough 20-19 loss against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Vikings vs. Bears game today, whether or not you have cable.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings vs. Bears game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Fubo offers you an easy, user-friendly way to watch NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, plus NCAA football channels. The Pro tier includes 200+ channels and unlimited DVR, while the Elite with Sports Plus tier adds NFL RedZone and 4K resolution. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial and all plans allow streaming on up to 10 screens simultaneously.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.