A mother of four was shot and killed in Florida following a longtime feud with a neighbour who had complained about the victim鈥檚 children playing outside, authorities and a family attorney said.
Deputies responded to a trespassing call Friday night and found one woman suffering from a gunshot wound, Marion County, Florida, Sheriff Billy Woods said in a Monday news conference.
The victim was identified by authorities as Ajike 鈥淎J鈥� Owens. She was 35.
The shooter, also a woman, 鈥渆ngaged鈥� with Owens鈥� children and threw a pair of skates, hitting the children, the sheriff said. A witness told police there had been a dispute over a child鈥檚 electronic tablet device prior to the shooter throwing the skates at the children, according to an incident report from the sheriff鈥檚 office.
Following that interaction, one of the children went back inside their home and told their mother, who went to the neighbour鈥檚 home 鈥渢o confront the lady,鈥� the sheriff said.
According to the shooter, there was 鈥渁 lot of aggressiveness鈥� from both sides, as well as threats being made, and Owens was ultimately shot through the door, Woods said.
Witnesses told authorities Owens went to the shooter鈥檚 home and knocked on the door before she was shot, according to the incident report.
Owens was later pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said.
The woman who fired at Owens has been cooperating with law enforcement, the sheriff added. No arrest has been made in the case.
Authorities have not named the shooter or shared any identifying information. But civil rights attorney Ben Crump, one of the attorneys representing the family, identified her as a White woman, according to a news release from his office Monday. The incident report also described the shooter as a 58-year-old White woman.
In a separate news conference held by Owens鈥� family attorneys, the victim鈥檚 mother said the neighbour who shot her daughter had called the family, including the children, racial slurs.
The neighbour鈥檚 door 鈥渘ever opened,鈥� when Owens, who was Black, tried to confront her, and she was shot through the door, Pamela Dias, the victim鈥檚 mother said.
鈥淢y daughter, my grandchildren鈥檚 mother, was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing next to her. She had no weapon, she posed no imminent threat to anyone,鈥� Dias said.
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 asking is for justice,鈥� she added. 鈥淛ustice for my daughter.鈥�
Speaking to MSNBC Monday night, Crump said the fact that there has not been an arrest in the case is 鈥渁ppalling.鈥�
鈥淚t is asinine when they try to justify this unjustifiable killing of this mother of four who was killed in front of her children,鈥� Crump said. 鈥淚t is heartbreaking on every level.鈥�
A verified GoFundMe page to support Owens鈥� family had raised more than US$30,000 by Monday night.
Sheriff references 鈥榮tand your ground鈥� law
In Monday鈥檚 news conference, authorities pleaded for calm and patience as they investigated the shooting, worked to recover possible video footage and interview the children who witnessed the incident. The sheriff also asked for anyone with information to come forward.
While responding to criticism about how long the investigation and a possible arrest is taking, the sheriff referenced the state鈥檚 鈥渟tand your ground鈥� law. The law allows people to meet 鈥渇orce with force鈥� if they believe they or someone else is in danger of being seriously harmed by an assailant.
鈥淲hat a lot of people don鈥檛 understand is that law has specific instructions for us in law enforcement,鈥� he said. 鈥淎ny time that we think, or perceive or believe that that might come into play, we cannot make an arrest, the law specifically says that.鈥�
鈥淲hat we have to rule out is whether the deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest,鈥� he said.
Authorities had received reports from the two neighbours dating back to at least January 2021, the sheriff said. Those reports included calls from the shooter complaining about Owens鈥� children, the sheriff said, adding that it was 鈥渃hildren being children,鈥� either being on someone鈥檚 property or playing in front of the multiplex.
鈥淗ere鈥檚 what I wish: I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands. I wish Ms. Owens would have called us, in hopes we could have never got to the point in which we are here today,鈥� he said.
鈥淧ray for those children. Pray for each and every one of them,鈥� Woods added. 鈥淭heir life has changed.鈥�
The sheriff vowed to Owens鈥� family and friends that his office 鈥渋s going to do everything to bring justice.鈥�
