A Florida woman who killed her neighbor after shooting him through her door will not be charged with murder, the state’s attorney announced Monday.
Susan Lorincz, a white woman, fatally shot Ajike Owens, a black mother of four, during an argument over Owens’ children on June 2. an umbrella towards them. Owen’s 10-year-old child was reportedly standing behind her when she was shot.
Lorincz was arrested in early June for manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, assault and assault. Florida State Attorney William Gladson has now announced he will not pursue the culpable negligence and battery charges, nor will he pursue a second-degree murder charge.
“As deplorable as the defendant’s actions in this case are, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second degree murder,” Gladson wrote in a statement.
He added: “Given the facts in this case, pointing a gun at the door and pulling the trigger is legally insufficient to prove a depraved mind.”
Gladson wrote that he had been the subject of intense public scrutiny, including “angry phone calls” and “threats of violence”.
“Simply put, my obligation is to obey the law,” he wrote.
Lorincz will be charged with the first degree criminal offense of manslaughter with a firearm. If found guilty, she faces up to 30 years in prison.
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