The family of Ajike Owens, a mother of four, identified Susan Lawrick, a white woman, as the shooter. Owens was shot and killed through a closed door following a dispute with her neighbor over their children in Ocala, Florida, on Friday.
During a press conference, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said that they know the identity of the shooter, but no arrests have been made yet.
Police Considering “Stand Your Ground” Law
CBS News reported that during a press conference Woods said that they were considering Florida’s “stand your ground” law enacted in 2005, according to which people can use deadly force if they feel their lives are in danger.
“Any time that we think or perceive or believe that that might come into play, we cannot make an arrest. The law specifically says that. And what we have to rule out is whether this deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest.This is not a whodunnit. We know who did the shooting,” Woods said on Monday.
WCJB reported that after identifying the shooter’s identity, as Susan Lawrick, 58, they demanded her arrest. Per the outlet, the family alleged that the shooter harassed the children in the neighborhood calling them, slaves, and using racial slurs and the N-word.
During the incident, Owens’s kids were playing in a field near an apartment complex in Ocala when a white woman started yelling at them “to get off her land and calling them racial slurs,” attorney Ben Crump said according to NBC news.
It was further revealed that after the woman yelled at them, the children accidentally left their iPad on the ground which was then taken by the woman. After one of the children approached the woman to get the iPad back, the device was thrown at him resulting in the screen cracking.
According to the attorney when Owens then went to the woman’s house. “She knocked on the door, and at that point, the woman allegedly shot through the door, hitting AJ, who later died from her injuries,” Crump said.
Social Media Demands Justice For Deceased Mother
The social media users demanded justice for the deceased woman, with many demanding immediate arrest of the shooter. “Oh my gods… Her 9-year-old child was next to her when Owens was shot. Susan Lawrick shot and killed that child’s mother & should be arrested, prosecuted, and serve a long sentence. “Stand your ground” ? No way. This was intentional Homicide,” tweeted a user.
“Her name is Susan Lawrick. That’s the murderer of #AjikeOwens.
We need to keep.on saying her name #AjikeOwens so her motherless babies can have some semblance of peace from the murderer who took their mother away,” read another tweet.
“RIP to #AjikeOwens I’m sorry those babies are now with their mother and had to witness all of this, “stand your ground” laws are anti black and should’ve been outlawed. #SayHerName #AjikeOwens,” wrote a user
