Trial begins in case of white woman who fatally shot Black neighbor during dispute

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida jury will determine whether a 60-year-old white woman was justified when she fired through the door of her central Florida apartment a year ago, killing a Black mother during an ongoing dispute over neighborhood children. Jurors were told during opening statements Tuesday that shortly before Ajike “A.J.” Owens was fatally shot in June 2023, the children had been playing in a small field outside the apartment where Susan Lorincz lived in Ocala. Owens went to Lorincz’s apartment and banged on the door. Defense attorney Morris Carranza told jurors Lorincz feared Owens would break down her door. She fired one shot, killing Owens. She is charged with manslaughter, and she faces up to 30 years in prison.