It took 4 days, but finally the 58 yr old woman was arrested for shooting A.J. Owens to death through a closed door. She claims self-defense.
In a
video posted on Facebook late Tuesday night, the sheriff said this was not a stand your ground case but "simply a killing."
"Now many of you were struggling to understand why there was not an immediate arrest," the sheriff said. "The laws here in the state of Florida are clear. Now I may not like them. I may not agree with them. But however, those laws I will follow."
The video shared by the sheriff's office shows two detectives and a deputy escorting Lorincz, who was wearing shorts, a black top and a jacket, down a hallway. The woman's hands were behind her back as she walked.
According to the sheriff's office, evidence showed that, over time, Lorincz had become angry over Owens' children playing in a field close to her apartment.
"Lorincz also claimed that Owens had come after her in the past and had previously attacked her," the office continued.
But "detectives were able to establish that Lorincz's actions were not justifiable under Florida law" and she was arrested, the office said.
The manslaughter charge Lorincz is facing is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, the office noted. She's also charged with culpable negligence, battery, and two counts of assault.
Billy Woods said in a statement that he wants "to thank Ms. Owens' family for their patience as we conducted the diligent investigation that we were bound by law to conduct. Ms. Lorincz's fate is now in the hands of the judicial system which I trust will deliver justice in due course. As I go to bed tonight, I will be saying a prayer for Ms. Owens' children and the rest of her family. I'd ask all of you to do the same."
Pressure was mounting
Owens' family members
called for the arrest at a news conference Monday.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who's representing Owens' family, said in a statement that the shooter had been yelling racial slurs at the children before the confrontation.
He also represented
Trayvon Martin's family in 2012, when the Black teenager was killed in a case that
drew worldwide attention to the state's stand your ground law.
The sheriff's office hasn't confirmed there were slurs uttered or said whether race was a factor in the shooting.
About three dozen mostly Black protesters had gathered outside the Marion County Judicial Center Tuesday to demand that the shooter be arrested in the country's latest flashpoint over race and gun violence. The chief prosecutor, State Attorney William Gladson, met with the protesters and urged patience while the investigation continued.
Woods said Monday detectives were working with the State Attorney's Office and had to investigate possible self-defense claims before they could move forward with any possible criminal charges.
The sheriff pointed out that because of the stand your ground law, he couldn't make an arrest unless he could prove the shooter didn't act in self-defense.
Susan Lorincz, 58, is charged with manslaughter and other offenses in the death of neighbor Ajike "AJ" Owens in Ocala, Fla.
www.cbsnews.com