Family of Black Mother Fatally Shot By Her Neighbor Calls on the DOJ to Consider Hate Crime Charges

The family of Ajike “AJ” Owens, the Black mother of four who was fatally shot through a closed door by her white neighbor on June 2 in Ocala, Florida, is calling on the Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and the U.S. Department of Justice to review the case and consider whether the shooting was a hate crime.

“It’s just awful, it’s a senseless murder. These children should never have to have gone through this,” Owens family attorney Anthony Thomas told “Good Morning America” on Saturday. “We feel as though a higher charge should have been brought other than manslaughter.”

Susan Lorincz was arrested on June 6 and charged with first-degree manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 30 years in prison if she is convicted, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. She was also charged with culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault. She pleaded not guilty on July 10.

Read the source article at ABC News