A brand new Netflix documentary makes use of police physique digicam footage to inform the story of Ajike Owens. The 35-year-old Black mom was shot and killed by her white neighbor in Florida.

Director Geeta Gandbhir created “The Good Neighbor” utilizing two years of police recordings. The footage reveals Susan Lorincz repeatedly calling police on her Black neighbors in Ocala, Florida.

Owens died on June 2, 2023. Lorincz shot her via a closed door throughout a neighborhood dispute. The 58-year-old white lady claimed self-defense below Florida’s stand-your-ground legal guidelines.

Gandbhir had a private connection to the case. Owens was an in depth buddy of the director’s sister-in-law. “Ajike Owens was an in depth buddy of Kim, my sister-in-law, who lives in Ocala,” Gandbhir defined in a current Movie Remark interview.

The filmmaker traveled to Florida instantly after the taking pictures. She nervous Lorincz won’t face expenses because of Florida’s controversial self-defense legal guidelines.

@they_scream_remy Story time & to make clear I’m the one who stated all the children are mine not Phyllis individuals are getting us confused. #theperfectneighbor #netflix ♬ unique sound – Ashley remy

“We have been actually involved that Susan wouldn’t be arrested because of Florida’s stand-your-ground legal guidelines,” Gandbhir stated. “We needed to make the media conscious of the suppression happening with native authorities.”

Police arrested Lorincz 4 days after the taking pictures. She was later convicted of manslaughter in August 2024.

The documentary reveals a disturbing sample. Lorincz had known as police on the neighborhood households for 2 years earlier than the deadly taking pictures. The footage reveals kids enjoying and households dwelling regular lives.

“The one one who ever known as the police into that group was Susan,” Gandbhir famous. “This can be a group that has skilled systemic racism and the bias in policing.”

The movie highlights gaps in police surveillance. Officers have been continuously current because of Lorincz’s calls. However no cameras captured the precise second of violence.

Gandbhir stated she made the movie to course of grief. “We needed to grasp what had occurred for ourselves,” she defined. “It was a option to put goal to the ache.”

The documentary premiered at Sundance Movie Competition in January 2025. It goals to spark dialogue about stand-your-ground legal guidelines and their impression on communities of shade.

Owens left behind 4 kids. Her mom, Pamela Dias, supported releasing the movie regardless of its painful content material. The household hopes the documentary will stop related tragedies.

Stand-your-ground legal guidelines exist in a number of states past Florida. Critics argue these legal guidelines disproportionately hurt Black and brown communities. Gandbhir believes roughly 700 deaths happen yearly because of such laws.

Associated