Unidentified neighbor arrested after shooting and killing black woman Ajike Owens in Florida

A Florida woman is dead after she went to her neighbor’s house to confront her about the neighbor who allegedly confronted the woman’s kids amid a long-standing “neighborhood feud,” Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said during a Monday press conference.

On Tuesday evening, Marion County Sheriff’s Office took the unidentified 58-year-old woman into custody, according to Attorney Ben Crump.

BREAKING: The unidentified 58-year-old white woman connected to the shooting death of Ajike “AJ” Owens has been arrested. #JusticeForAJ pic.twitter.com/HrtssZmtQT

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) June 7, 2023

Late Friday, deputies received a trespassing call on SW Lane in Ocala, Florida. When deputies arrived, they found Ajike “AJ” Shantrell Owens with gunshot wounds. Owens was transported to a local hospital, where she died.

According to Sheriff Woods, the neighbor and Owens has had a long-standing feud with each other.

The neighbor claims she shot Owens in self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground Law.”

We know that this has basically been a neighborhood feud over time, Sheriff Woods said.

Sheriff Woods said his office received about a half-dozen 911 calls from Owens and the neighbor about issues between each other. Before the shooting, an incident happened between the neighbor and Owens’ children. Sheriff Woods said the specifics of that incident remain under investigation.

However, Sheriff Woods said that the neighbor threw a pair of skates at Owen’s children, and one was hit.

The child went back and told Owens. Police said Owens then went to the neighbor’s home to confront her about the incident, which resulted in the neighbor shooting through the door, striking Owens.

According to Sheriff Woods, the interaction between the neighbor and Owens was “aggressive,” alleging that Owens was banging on the neighbor’s door and making threats. However, Sheriff Woods said the specifics are being investigated.

Attorneys for Owen’s family are calling for the immediate arrest of the neighbor and her full name, along with a photo to be released.

Before the shooting, the neighbor yelled at Owens and her children “to get off her land” and yelled racial slurs at them, according to Crump’s office.

Pamela Dias, the mother of Owens, says her daughter “had no weapon” and “posed no imminent threat to anyone” when she was shot and killed.

The neighbor has not been arrested or charged in the shooting.