Black mother of four killed in Florida by neighbor after dispute over playing children

OCALA, Fla. − More than 250 people gathered at a Florida church Monday demanding justice after a Black woman was fatally shot by her white neighbor following a more than two-year feud.

The incident began when a neighbor threw something at Ajike "AJ" Shantrell Owens' children, who were playing near the neighbor's home in Ocala Friday, police and family attorneys said. Owens, 35, went to the neighbor's home to speak with her and was fatally shot, according to the family's attorneys.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said Monday the shooting was due to a neighborhood feud that grew over time. The sheriff’s office hasn’t arrested or identified the shooter.

Woods said Owens' children, who witnessed the shooting, have not yet been interviewed by police and officials must investigate possible self-defense claims before pursuing criminal charges.

Owens' family is being represented by personal injury attorney Anthony D. Thomas and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. At a news conference at New St. John Missionary Baptist Church, Thomas said the family and the community need justice for the unlawful killing of Owens.

“My daughter, my grandchildren’s mother, was shot and killed with her 9-year-old son standing next to her,” Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, said Monday. “She had no weapon. She posed no imminent threat to anyone.”

Neighbor yelled racial slurs at children before shooting, attorney says

Owens' children were playing in a field next to one of the buildings in an Ocala apartment complex June 2 when the suspected shooter yelled at the children, according to a news release from the family's attorneys. The suspect, who the attorneys identified as a 58-year-old white woman, is accused of calling the children racial slurs and ordering them to get off her property.

The children left but forgot an iPad, which was taken by the suspect, according to the statement. When one of the children went back for the device, the woman reportedly threw it and it hit a child.

Owens, who is Black, was told about the incident by her children and went to the woman's residence to speak with her, the statement said.

Owens knocked and the women allegedly shot her through the door, according to the statement. She later died of her injuries.

Sheriff attributes shooting to neighborhood feud

There have been multiple calls about the neighborhood dispute since January 2021, Woods said at a news conference with community leaders earlier Monday.

Woods said the shooter threw a pair of skates in the direction of the children and hit them, but was unclear if it was intentional. The sheriff said one child said he was going to tell his mother, Owens. That's when Owens went to the residence to confront the woman and was shot.

“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” Woods said. “I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in the hopes we could have never gotten to the point at which we are here today.”

Woods said deputies responded to a trespassing call, but later learned someone had been shot. Deputies provided aid on scene to Owens.

The sheriff’s office hasn’t confirmed slurs were used or said whether race was a factor in the shooting.

Most of the information the deputies have so far is from the shooter, Woods said. Officials are waiting to interview the children who witnessed the shooting until after they work with child therapists, he added

“There was a lot of aggressiveness from both of them, back and forth,” Wood said the shooter told investigators. “Whether it be banging on the doors, banging on the walls and threats being made. And then at that moment is when Ms. Owens was shot through the door.”

Woods also cited the stand your ground law, which he says restricts law enforcement officials from making an arrest without being sure there was no other alternative to the use of deadly force.

Woods said he's providing all resources for justice in this case to Owens' family. He said his heart goes out to them, especially the children who are witnesses and victims.

Woods said it's good that Thomas, who also attended the police news conference, and his department are working together. Thomas said they're asking for an arrest and want to make sure it happens.

Owens family and friend speak

Dias said her daughter was full of life, and was the mother to four children, three boys and a girl. Dias said her daughter loved her children. Her daughter posed no threat to the shooter and is asking for justice for her and her children, she said.

Owens son, Isaac Williams, thanked everyone for supporting his mother.

That Marion County NAACP branch President Bishop J. David Stockton III, said he wants a full, fair and transparent investigation into Owens death. Stockton said the situation reminded him of the young man who went to pick up his brothers, knocked on the wrong door and was shot, an apparent reference to Ralph Yarl, the 17-year-old who was shot by a Kansas City homeowner after going to the wrong house in April.

A GoFundMe page has been created for Owens' children.

Follow Austin L. Miller on Twitter @almillerosb.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Black mother of four killed in Florida by neighbor: sheriff