No murder charge for Florida woman accused of shooting, killing Black neighbor

June 26 (UPI) -- A Florida woman accused of shooting through her closed door and killing her Black neighbor will not be charged with murder by the state.

State attorney William Gladson announced Monday that Susan Lorincz has been charged with one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault. Gladson said there is insufficient evidence to upgrade the manslaughter charge to murder.

"As is always true in criminal cases, failure to prove beyond a reasonable doubt even one element of a crime will result in a not-guilty verdict," Gladson wrote in a press release.

"Given the facts in this case, aiming a firearm at the door, and pulling the trigger is legally insufficient to prove depraved mind. Case law has consistently held that extreme recklessness or impulsive overreactions are, in and of themselves, insufficient to prove second degree murder."

Lorincz, 58, allegedly shot 35-year-old Ajike "AJ" Owens on June 2 during an argument. Owens was a single mother with four children.

According to the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Lorincz had an argument with one of Owens' children earlier in the day. During that argument, Lorincz threw a skate at the child and swung an umbrella at him. Owens was later shot after she knocked on the door to confront Lorincz.

Lorincz admitted to investigators that she used a racial slur against Owens' children, according to court documents.

Following the announcement that Lorincz will not be charged with murder, the Rev. Al Sharpton said in a statement that the legal system had failed Owens.

"The legal system failed AJ Owens and her family today by refusing to recognize that this brazen shooting was plain murder. It was an outrageous decision to not bring murder charges against a shooter who fired blindly through the door. Florida officials have failed AJ throughout this entire process," Sharpton said.

"The fact that this woman hurled insults including the n-word at her children and proclaimed, 'This isn't the underground railroad, slave,' should be enough for the Justice Department to investigate this as a federal hate crime."

Sharpton also called on the Department of Justice to intervene in the case.