The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Authorities in Indiana are investigating whether to charge a homeowner who shot and killed a cleaning woman who accidentally went to the wrong address.
Police reported that 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez was found dead in her husband’s arms on a front porch in Whitestown, a suburb of Indianapolis, around 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
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Officers had been responding to reports of a possible home invasion, but investigators later confirmed that neither Perez nor her husband had entered the house. The case has since been handed over to the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if charges will be filed.
Authorities have not revealed the identity of the shooter, describing the case as “complex, delicate, and ongoing.” Police cautioned the public against spreading false information online as the investigation continues.
Perez’s husband, Mauricio Velazquez, told CBS News he is seeking justice for his wife, who was a mother of four and originally from Guatemala. Speaking through an interpreter, he said the fatal shot was fired through the door.
“They should have called the police first instead of shooting right away,” he said.
Boone County prosecutor Kent Eastwood noted that the case involves intricate questions around Indiana’s stand-your-ground law, which allows individuals to use deadly force if they believe it necessary to prevent serious harm or death.
The incident echoes other tragic cases in the US where people were shot after going to the wrong home. In 2023, Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old in Missouri, was shot twice after ringing the wrong doorbell, while in New York, Kaylin Gillis, 20, was killed after entering the wrong driveway. The homeowner in Gillis’s case is now serving a 25-year prison sentence.
