US cleaning woman shot and killed after arriving at wrong home
CBSUS authorities are considering whether to file charges against an Indiana landlord who shot and killed a housekeeper who mistakenly showed up at the wrong address.
Police said they found Maria Florinda Rios Perez dead in her husband’s arms on the porch of a house on Wednesday, shortly before 7 a.m. local time (1200 GMT).
Authorities had responded to a call about a possible home invasion in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown. The two men do not appear to have entered the house, police said in a statement.
They have officially submitted the case to the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office for review to determine if criminal charges will be filed in this case.
Police did not identify the people in the home or those who fired the shots, saying in a statement Friday that this is a “complex, sensitive and evolving matter, and it would be both inappropriate and potentially dangerous to release this information.”
They called for patience, warning against a “worrying spread of misinformation online” about the case.
Mauricio Velazquez told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that he wanted justice for his wife of 32 years.
Media reports say she was a mother of four and originally from Guatemala.
In an interview with CBS affiliate WTTV, Mr. Velazquez said the bullet went through the door of the house.
“They should have called the police first instead of shooting like that out of nowhere,” he said through an interpreter.
CBSBoone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood told the Indianapolis Star that the case is complex because of the wording of the state’s tough stand law.
Standstill laws are in effect in many U.S. states, and most allow an individual to protect themselves by using reasonable force, including deadly force, to avoid death or serious bodily injury.
Similar incidents have made headlines in the United States in recent years.
In 2023, Ralph Yarl, then 16, was shot twice after ringing the doorbell at a wrong house in Missouri. Andrew Lester, in his 80s, pleaded guilty and died while awaiting sentencing.
In New York, Kaylin Gillis, 20, died after being shot while walking down the wrong aisle. The homeowner who shot him is currently serving a 25-year sentence.
