The family of a woman shot and killed by a neighbor is demanding police arrest the woman who shot Ajike “AJ” Owens through a front door.
Owens, a mother of four, was killed Friday in Ocala, Florida.
Owens' mother, Pamela Dias, said her grandchildren were playing in a nearby field when another woman apparently became upset.
"She took a personal item, iPad, tablet, electronic device that belonged to a child, he tried to retrieve it," Dias said. "She threw skates at him."
That's when Dias said Owens got involved and went to the woman's home.
Police said Owens, who is Black, and the shooter, who is White, reportedly got into an argument before the shooting.
“There was a lot of aggressiveness from both of them, back and forth,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods 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.”
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Authorities have not arrested the woman, saying Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law prevents them from taking a person into custody if investigators believe the law could come into play in the case.
Woods added that there is a history of conflict between the two women related to the property where the kids were reportedly playing before the shooting. He said deputies had been called to the location six to eight times since 2021.
The State Attorney’s Office is assisting with the investigation. Woods added that the children will be interviewed before determining whether a crime was committed.
