Jury hears closing arguments in trial of White woman who fatally shot Black neighbor amid dispute over kids playing outside

Jurors heard closing arguments Friday in the trial of a White woman accused of fatally shooting an unarmed Black mother during an ongoing dispute over children playing near her home.

Jurors heard closing arguments Friday in the trial of a White woman accused of fatally shooting an unarmed Black mother during an ongoing dispute over children playing near her home. The panel also received instructions from the judge before deliberating whether Susan Lorincz was justified under the state’s controversial self-defense laws when she fired through the front door of her central Florida apartment last June and killed 35-year-old Ajike “AJ” Owens, who had been knocking on Lorincz’s door. Lorincz, 60, is charged with manslaughter with a firearm and has pleaded not guilty. She faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted, according to State Attorney Bill Gladson’s office. In his closing argument, prosecutor Rich Buxman told jurors Lorincz admitted pulling the trigger and killing Owens. “It wasn’t an accidental situation. It wasn’t a situation where she slipped and the gun accidentally went off and shot the door and struck Ms. Owens,” Buxman said. “That’s not what we have here. She intentionally fired it. There’s no doubt that the defendant intentionally committed an act, which caused the death of Ajike Owens.” Buxman said Lorincz acted with “utter disregard for the life of others.”