MARION COUNTY, Fla. — People chanted, “Justice for A.J.” at “The National Day of Righteous Outrage” on Saturday.
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The rally drew a large crowd of family, friends, supporters, civil rights leaders, and faith leaders to Ocala.
They gathered at the Kingdom Revival Church to call for justice for Ajinke A.J. Owens, who was shot and killed last month.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Owens’s neighbor Susan Lorincz fatally shot her through her locked front door.
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According to the sheriff’s office, Lorincz tried to claim she feared for her safety, but deputies said Lorincz threw a roller skate at Owens’ children. That’s when the mother of four went to confront her neighbor and was shot.
Records show Lorincz called 911 on her neighborhood’s children at least a dozen times and claimed they were trespassing and harassing her.
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Right after the shooting, in a 911 call, Lorincz is heard telling the Sheriff’s office she didn’t know what to do.
“I just grabbed my gun and shot at the door. I thought she was going to kill me,” Lorincz said.
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Those at the rally aimed to get justice for A.J. Owens.
Owens’s Family attorney, Anthony Thomas, demands that the manslaughter and assault charges brought against Lorincz be upgraded to second-degree murder.
“We pray that the judge, prosecutors, and everyone involved does their due diligence to ensure Susan Lorincz receives the maximum penalty for what she’s done,” said Thomas.
Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump was also at the rally. “It was not ok; what happened to A.J.,” said Crump.
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For family and friends, they are trying to keep A.J. Owens’s memory alive.
A.J.’s mother, Pamela Dias, thanked all the organizers.
“It is with great pleasure that I stand before all of you because you all continue to fight for justice for my daughter,” Dias said.
Lorincz is expected back in court this coming on Tuesday. In the meantime, she’s at Marion county jail on a $154,000 bond.
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