Florida’s “stand your ground” law is back in the spotlight after Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Black mother of four, was shot and killed through a closed door in Ocala, Fla., following a dispute with her neighbor.
Ajike “AJ” Owens, a Black mother of four, was shot and killed through a closed door in Ocala, Fla., in front of her young children on Friday following a dispute with her neighbor.
Authorities have not made any arrests and say that Florida’s “stand your ground” law is a crucial piece of the puzzle in this case. Before an arrest can be made, “he [Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods] needs probable cause, that’s what he told me,” Thomas said. Since 2021, Owens, 35, and the shooter, who is white, have reached out to the police a number of times, according to Woods, who added that law enforcement has responded to at least six to eight incidents. “This has been a neighborhood feud over time,” he said.
But Woods says that according to one side of the story, “there was a lot of aggressiveness back and forth — and at that moment [Owens] was shot through the door.” It wasn’t immediately clear whose account Woods was referring to. “Stand your ground” allows an individual to use force against a person they believe puts them in imminent danger. “And the ‘stand your ground’ provision means that if those conditions apply, then they don’t have to try to retreat, even if they knew they could safely retreat before using deadly force against the other person,” she said.
Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, an organization dedicated to gun safety, says America’s lack of gun laws has created a deadly environment for Black people.
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