Florida mother fatally shot in neighborhood feud over playing children

A two-and-a-half-year neighborhood feud over playing children has ended in a Florida mother’s fatal shooting, officials said Monday.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at a news conference Monday that deputies responding to a trespassing call at an Ocala home Friday night found Ajike Owens suffering from gunshot wounds. The 35-year-old woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died. Ocala is about 70 miles northwest of Orlando.

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Woods said deputies have responded at least a half-dozen times since January 2021 regarding the dispute between Owens and the woman who eventually shot her. The sheriff’s office hasn’t arrested or identified the shooter. Woods said detectives are working with the State Attorney’s Office, and they must investigate possible self-defense claims before they can move forward with any criminal charges.

Before the shooting, Owens’ children had been playing in a field near the shooter’s apartment, officials said. At some point, the woman yelled at the children and threw a pair of skates, which hit one of the children, Woods said. When Owens later confronted the woman at her apartment, an argument ensued, and the woman shot Owens through the front door, investigators said.