OCALA, Fla. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and attorney Anthony D. Thomas released a statement following the arrest of the unidentified shooter of AJ Owens, the mother of four.
On Friday, June 2, Owens’ children were playing in a field next to an Ocala apartment complex when an unidentified 58-year-old white woman reportedly began yelling at them to get off her land and calling them racial slurs. The children left but accidentally left behind an iPad, which the woman took. After AJ’s children informed AJ of what happened, she walked across the street with her kids to speak with the woman. She knocked on the door, and at that point, the woman allegedly shot through the door, hitting AJ, who later died from her injuries.
Attorneys for the family released the following statement:
“While we are relieved that the woman apparently responsible for the tragic killing of Ajike “AJ” Owens has been arrested, we are no less concerned that accountability has taken this long because archaic laws like Stand Your Ground exist. What does it say when a person can shoot and kill an unarmed mother in the presence of her young children, and not be immediately taken into custody, questioned, and charged? We will remain vigilant in seeking justice for AJ and other people of color, like Ralph Yarl, who simply knocked on a door and was met with the barrel of a gun. We must eradicate laws like Stand Your Ground that only contribute to the lawlessness of our country and the disproportionate maiming and killing of people of color. This is an important step in a necessary journey to justice for AJ.”
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas, including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
