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 Perfect Neighbor” utilizing two years of police recordings. The footage exhibits Susan Lorincz repeatedly calling police on her Black neighbors in Ocala, Florida.

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

Gandbhir had a private connection to the case. Owens was a detailed pal of the director’s sister-in-law. “Ajike Owens was a close friend of Kim, my sister-in-law, who lives in Ocala,” Gandbhir defined in a latest Film Comment interview.

The filmmaker traveled to Florida instantly after the capturing. She nervous Lorincz won’t face expenses as a result 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 persons are getting us confused. #theperfectneighbor #netflix music/original-sound-7563715368502463262?refer=embed”>♬ unique sound – Ashley remy

“We were really concerned that Susan would not be arrested due to Florida’s stand-your-ground laws,” Gandbhir stated. “We wanted to make the media aware of the suppression going on with local authorities.”

Police arrested Lorincz 4 days after the capturing. 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 capturing. The footage exhibits kids enjoying and households dwelling regular lives.

“The only person who ever called the police into that community was Susan,” Gandbhir famous. “This is a community that has experienced systemic racism and the bias in policing.”

The movie highlights gaps in police surveillance. Officers had been often current as a result of Lorincz’s calls. But no cameras captured the precise second of violence.

Gandbhir stated she made the movie to course of grief. “We wanted to understand what had happened for ourselves,” she defined. “It was a way to put purpose to the pain.”

The documentary premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2025. It goals to spark dialogue about stand-your-ground legal guidelines and their influence on communities of coloration.

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 forestall comparable 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 as a result of such laws.

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