Ajike Owens, a mother of four from Ocala, Florida, was killed by her neighbor on Friday, June 2, 2023. What started as racist epithets spewed at Owens' young children resulted in a fatal loss.
According to ABC News, the 35-year-old was shot through the front door of the neighbor's home as her 9 year old child was beside her. The family had longstanding issues with the neighbor which boiled over into a violent end.
Earlier in the day, Owen's children were playing outside the apartment with their iPad when the neighbor began to taunt the kids and threw a pair of skates at them which connected and hit one of them. Ajike, affectionately referred to as A.J., went to confront the neighbor which resulted in the neighbor shooting Owens moments later. A neighbor, who confirmed the hateful nature of the neighbor toward the children, rushed over to start chest compressions. Ajike Owens died at a nearby hospital.
Small protests have ensued over the weekend to urge law enforcement to take action. The protests included a great deal of young children.
Many have called for the arrest of the neighbor which has yet to happen due to the state's "Stand Your Ground" laws. While the police know the identity of the shooter, Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods stated during Monday's press conference, "Any time that we think or perceive or believe that that might come into play, we cannot make an arrest. The law specifically says that. What we have to rule out is whether this deadly force was justified or not before we can even make the arrest."
The family is being represented by Benjamin Crump, who shared the below on Twitter.
