Sheriff probes ‘self defense’ claim of white woman who fatally shot Black neighbor in front of kids

By CURT ANDERSON and FREIDA FRISARO
Associated Press

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff says detectives must investigate self-defense claims before any criminal charges can be brought against a white woman who fatally shot her Black neighbor last week in the violent culmination of what the sheriff described as a 2½-year feud. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said Monday that he’s not legally able to arrest the shooter unless he can prove that she did not act in self-defense when she shot Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four last Friday night. The women lived in a neighborhood in the rolling hills south of Ocala in north Florida.