Where Are Ajike “AJ” Owens' Kids Now? Inside Their Lives 2 Years After Their Mom Was Shot and Killed by Their Neighbor By Lynsey Eidell

When Ajike “AJ” Owens was shot and killed through a locked door by her neighbor Susan Lorincz in 2023, her four young children were left without a mother.

In the two years preceding the shooting, Lorincz has frequently complained about Owens’ four kids, who often played in an open field near her Ocala, Fla., apartment. Lorincz, who is White, was known to harass the kids, who are Black, as they played outside — she called them derogatory names and racial slurs, filmed them and filed police reports against them, according to NBC News.

But on the night of June 2, 2023, the tension came to a head after Lorincz reportedly threw a roller skate near one of Owens’ sons, per an affidavit obtained by CNN. The mother of four went to her neighbor’s doorstep to confront her — but as she knocked and shouted for Lorincz to come outside, Lorincz fired a single shot through the locked door. The bullet struck Owens in the upper chest, killing the 35-year-old mother.

Though Lorincz claimed the shooting was in self-defense, invoking Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, authorities eventually charged her with manslaughter. She was convicted in August 2024 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Owens’ shooting death is back in the spotlight, thanks to the Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor. The film, which premiered on Oct. 17, uses police bodycam footage to offer an unprecedented look into the events leading up to and on the night that Owens was killed.

Here is everything to know about Ajike “AJ” Owens’ four children and where they are today, two years after their mother’s killing.

AJ Owens had four children: Isaac, Israel, Afrika and Titus

Owens was a single mother to four children: sons Isaac, Israel and Titus and a daughter, Afrika. At the time of her killing in June 2023, Owens’ children ranged in age from 3 years old (Titus) to 12 years old (Isaac), according to the Ocala Gazette.

Owens was described by those closest to her as a dedicated mother whose life revolved around her children. Despite working as a manager in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Owens still managed to find time to serve as the “team mom” for her children’s football and cheerleading teams, CNN reported.

“She was supermom,” Owens’ mother, Pamela Dias, told CNN. “She worked hard to provide a better life for them.”

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Israel was standing next to his mother when she was shot by Susan Lorincz

Owens’ son Israel, who was only 9 years old at the time, was tragically by his mother’s side when she was shot through the door by Lorincz.

According to the Ocala Gazette, on the evening of June 2, 2023, Israel was playing in a field near Lorincz’s apartment while his older brother, 12-year-old Isaac, played basketball in the street. Israel left his tablet in the field and, when he went to retrieve it, Lorincz allegedly threw a roller skate near him — hitting him in the foot and reportedly breaking the tablet. She also swung an umbrella at another of Owens’ sons.

“She called him racial slurs, said ‘this is not the Underground Railroad, you slaves,’ ” Dias later claimed on The View. Lorincz admitted to calling the children racist slurs, per the arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

After the boys informed their mother of what had occurred, Owens, accompanied by 9-year-old Israel, went to Lorincz’s doorstep to confront her. While Owens and Israel stood on the doorstep, Lorincz fired a single shot through the door, striking Owens in the upper chest.

“She was met with a bullet through a locked metal door with her 9-year-old son standing next to her,” Dias said on The View.

Not only was Israel next to his mother as she was shot, but Isaac also witnessed the shooting. He called 911 and ran to a neighbor’s house to get help, NBC News reported.

“I opened the door and it’s Isaac, her oldest son, and he’s like gasping for air,” neighbor Phyllis Wills told NBC. “He can’t even barely talk. And he’s like, ‘The lady shot my mom!’ ”

Isaac and Israel were potential witnesses at Susan Lorincz’s manslaughter trial

At Lorincz’s trial in August 2024, Owens’ two oldest sons, Isaac and Israel, were listed as potential witnesses — as both were present as the deadly events of June 2, 2023, unfolded.

Dias, Owens’ mother, shared in a press conference that while she wished her grandchildren “did not have to testify … if this is what it takes to get justice, and this is what we have to do,” according to ABC News. However, neither the state nor the defense ended up calling either boy to testify.

Instead, the prosecution relied on neighbors, Lorincz’s former landlord, sheriff’s deputies, a 911 dispatcher, crime scene investigators and forensics experts to present their case against Lorincz. The defense also presented neighbors and forensics and ballistics experts, according to the Ocala Gazette.

AJ Owens’ two oldest children feel guilt over their mother’s death

In the wake of their mother’s untimely death, Owens’ oldest children, Isaac and Israel, blamed themselves for the tragedy, their grandmother revealed on The View. Dias said that the two boys had been on an “emotional rollercoaster” since the shooting, and were distraught over thinking that they were at fault for Owens’ death.

“The 9 year old feels as if he hadn’t left his tablet, his mother would still be here,” Dias explained. “The 12 year old, he couldn’t do anything to save her.”

Dias spoke more about the boys’ guilt in the wake of the tragedy with MSNBC.

“In his soul, in his heart, it’s his fault,” she said in reference to Israel, explaining how he told his mother what allegedly occurred with Lorincz prior to the shooting, which prompted the confrontation.

Dias added: “Our 12-year-old blames himself for the death of his mother because he couldn’t save her. He couldn’t give her CPR. His words were, ‘Grandma, grandma, I couldn’t save her.’ ”

AJ Owens’ children honored their mother on the one-year anniversary of her killing

Owens’ family and friends, including her four children, gathered on the one-year anniversary of her killing to celebrate her life.

To honor her memory, one of Owens’ children recited a poem. “My mom is my hero. Forever will she be in my heart,” the child said, according to Fox 35 Orlando.

Owens’ children also danced at the memorial service, paying tribute to their mother’s “joyful, vibrant” spirit.

“(I) feel that they were dancing for their mom, and she was smiling down on them,” their grandmother, Dias, said to the news outlet.

Where are AJ Owens’ kids now?

Since their mother’s death, Owens’ four children have been raised by their grandmother, Dias. But coping with the immense loss has not been easy for the young children. Following the shooting, Dias revealed that Isaac was in trauma therapy and that she was researching counseling for Israel, as well.

Additionally, Owens’ youngest child, Titus, who was just a toddler when his mother died, was confused, irritable and inconsolable in the weeks after her death, Dias shared.

“It’s been very hard for the children – they were very young when they lost their mother, and it’s something no child should have to endure,” Dias told CNN in October 2025. “At the same time, they’ve shown strength and resilience that continues to amaze me.”

She continued, “I can see the values my daughter instilled in them – her kindness, her love, her faith – and that means they carry a piece of her wherever they go.”

In addition to caring for her grandchildren, Dias cofounded a nonprofit in honor of her daughter called the Standing in the Gap Fund. It aims to support families impacted by gun and racist violence and to fight for legislative change, particularly in relation to “Stand Your Ground” laws.

“Her name is now tied to change,” Dias told CNN.