A black Florida mother was shot and killed by a neighbor who had complained about the victim’s kids playing outdoors, authorities and a family attorney said.
Florida Mother Fatally Shot By A Neighbor
Friday night Deputies received a trespassing call and responded to the area, when they arrived they found a black Florida mother suffering from a gunshot wound, Marion County, Florida, Sheriff Billy Woods said in a Monday news conference.
ABC News repoed that the 35-year-old black Florida mother was identified by authorities as Ajike “AJ” Owens. The neighbor who shoot the Florida mother is also a fellow woman, who had encountered Owens’ children. It was stated by the sheriff that she began throwing a pair of skates and hitting the children.
A witness told police there had been a dispute over a child’s electronic tablet device before the shooter threw the skates at the children, according to an incident report from the sheriff’s office.
Following that interaction, one of Owens’s children went back inside their home, and seems that the boy told her what happened. Owens instantly proceeded to the neighbor’s house in an attempt to confront the woman, the sheriff said.
However, the shooter claimed that during the incident there was an occurrence of several aggressiveness from both sides, as well as threats, and she end up shooting Owens through the door, Woods stated.
Witnesses told authorities that the Florida mother went to the shooter’s home and knocked on the door before she was hit by a gunshot, according to the incident report. Owens was later pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities declared.
No Arrest Has Been Made
The suspect who shot and killed Owens has been collaborating with law enforcement, according to the sheriff. As of the moment no arrest has been made in the case.
The Identification of the shooter stayed private by the Authorities or even shared any identifying information was also kept away from the public. However, the 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 accused as a 58-year-old White woman.
Pamela Dias, the victim’s mother said the neighbor’s door never really opened when Owen attempted to confront her but instead, she just shot directly through the doors causing her death.
Pamela Dias also said she wants justice for her daughter and for her grandchildren’s mother who was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing next to her. Dias claimed that her daughter had no weapon, and she posed no imminent threat to anyone.
Crump said the fact that there has not been an arrest in the case is awful and killing a mother in front of her children is heartbreaking on every level.
A verified GoFundMe page had a fundraiser that reach more than $30,000 by Monday night to help Owens’ family.
However, the sheriff promised Owens’ family and friends that his office will do everything to obtain the justice the Florida mother deserved as they are still investigating the shooting, working to recover possible video footage, and interviewing the children who witnessed the incident. The sheriff also requested anyone with information related to the shooting to come forward.