In a country short on patience and addicted to guns, an argument between neighbors can quickly become a cold-blooded murder. To that end, a Florida woman was accused of shooting and killing a mother in front of her kids last week in a shocking end to a long-running feud between neighbors.
Susan Louise Lorincz, a 58 year old white lady, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm, culpable negligence, battery and two counts of assault in the death of her neighbor Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four. According to the sheriff’s account, Owens was shot moments after going to Lorincz’s apartment because she had yelled at Owens’ children as they played outside. Law enforcement officials said Lorincz had thrown a pair of skates that hit one of the children. Hitting children is commonly understood to be a big no-no.
The local sheriff said that since January 2021, deputies have responded to at least a half-dozen calls in connection with what police described as feuding between Owens and Lorincz. The sheriff also said this was not a “stand your ground” case but “simply a killing.” Stand your ground and “castle doctrine” cases, which allow residents to defend themselves either by law or court precedent when they feel threatened, have sparked outrage amid a flurry of shootings across the country.
In 2017, Florida lawmakers shifted the burden of proof from a person claiming self-defense to prosecutors. Before the change in law, prosecutors could charge someone with a shooting, and then defense attorneys would have to present a defense for why their client shouldn’t be convicted. Now authorities must rule out self-defense before bringing any charges. Lost in all this talk of self defense vs. standing your ground is the fact that four Black kids lost their mother who was simply trying to protect them.
Side Items
Messi to Miami: Lionel Messi has pulled off his latest stunning feat: He is headed to the US to join Major League Soccer and Inter Miami FC. After months of speculation, Messi finally revealed his decision yesterday to join the Miami franchise that has been led by a previous generation’s global soccer icon, David Beckham, since its inception. For context, Messi sold more PSG jerseys last year ($130m) than total revenue for the top-earning MLS team, LAFC ($116m). Messi is joining a team that currently sits last in the Eastern Conference and just fired its head coach. Inter Miami has made the playoffs in two of its first three seasons but has yet to finish a season with a winning record or even a positive goal differential. This may be Messi’s greatest challenge yet
Smokey Days: People in New York City were rudely introduced to the fact that climate change won’t wait for us to prepare before it strikes. The city that never sleeps was filled with reddish haze yesterday, with its worst air quality on record. A Broadway show was interrupted when its star had difficulty breathing, and pro sports teams in both New York and Philadelphia postponed their games due to the air quality. This is the future we can look forward to, some mix of Blade Runner 2049 and Dune
Arnold vs. Danny: This interview features two of the great performers of the 20th century, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. DeVito interviews the Governator and we learn about his upbringing and hobbies, among other things. It’s interesting how the actual substance of the interview is mixed in with responses about Arnold selling ice cream bars as a kid or wanting to buy his first transistor radio. There’s even discussion about life after death, it’s really neat to see these two former Batman villains engage in such a dialogue