US officials are considering charges against an Indiana homeowner who shot and killed a house cleaner after she mistakenly showed up at the wrong address for a cleaning appointment.
Police found 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez dead in the arms of her husband on the front porch of a home in Whitestown on Wednesday morning, following reports of a possible home invasion.
The incident involved Rios Perez and her husband, who did not enter the property, according to police.
The case has been referred to the Boone County Prosecutor's Office for review to determine potential criminal charges.
The police have not disclosed the identities of the individuals involved, stating that it is a complex, delicate, and evolving case, and they are aiming to prevent misinformation from spreading online.
Her husband, Mauricio Velazquez, expressed his anguish and called for justice for his wife, who was a mother of four and originally from Guatemala. Velazquez claimed the bullet that killed his wife came directly through the door of the home they were approaching.
According to Kent Eastwood, Boone County prosecutor, the case is particularly intricate due to the state's stand-your-ground law, which allows individuals to use reasonable force, even deadly force, to defend themselves from what they perceive as imminent threats.
This situation echoes several high-profile cases in the U.S. where individuals faced similar deadly consequences after mistakenly entering private properties. Notably, in 2023, Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old, was shot after ringing the doorbell of the wrong address in Missouri, and Kaylin Gillis was killed after entering the wrong driveway in New York.
The tragic shooting of Rios Perez raises critical questions about the implications of stand-your-ground laws and urges a broader discussion about gun violence and public safety in the United States.
