Viewers of Netflix's new documentary, The Perfect Neighbor, shot on police body cameras, will know how the devastating actions of one cruel neighbor, Susan Lorincz, resulted in the loss of Ajike “AJ” Owens' life.
The 35-year-old Black mother of four was killed by a single bullet fired by Lorincz, a white woman, in 2023. Lorincz had previously made repeated 911 calls about the Black children playing in their shared neighborhood in Florida—some of whom were Owens' children.
After hearing from her child that Lorincz had thrown a roller skate at them, Owens went to confront her neighbor and was shot dead in a harrowing incident, which Lorincz would later try to claim as an act of self defense.
“The Perfect Neighbor is a deeply personal project, created to transform grief into purpose and honor the lasting legacy of Ajike Owens and her family,” filmmaker and family friend, Geeta Gandbhir, said via Tudum. “My team at Message Pictures, along with our incredible partners at SO’B Productions and Park Pictures, are thrilled the film will be available on Netflix, offering audiences worldwide the chance to experience this urgent and powerful story.”
She added that it was only made possible by Owen's mother, Pamela Dias, who bravely consented to the footage being shared publicly. In the film, clips show how Lorincz repeatedly flipped between acting like the victim and aggressor when making multiple calls to complain about the children playing near her home, in the build-up to the shooting.
Dias' response was heartbreaking.
“I showed Pam the film when it was completed and I said, ‘Is this what you want?’,” Gandbhir went on to explain in The Guardian. “She said, ‘Yes, the world needs to know what happened to my baby.’”
The filmmaker added that the decision to retell the story using police body camera footage was a very intentional one. “For people of color like myself, for Black and brown folks, oftentimes [police body camera footage is] seen as a violent tool.
“The police come into our communities and, afterwards, they use body camera footage to criminalize and dehumanize us, to justify violence they may perpetrate against the community. I wanted to take this footage and flip it on its head.”
In court, after being issued a 25-year sentence for one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault, Lorincz denied the killing was racially motivated.
“I am so sorry that I took AJ's life. I never intended to kill her,” she said. “The night I shot that gun I was confused as to why she was screaming and pounding on my door. Please accept my humble and sincere apology for this tragedy.”
The Perfect Neighbor is available to stream on Netflix right now.
