An Indiana woman was shot and killed Wednesday morning after she accidentally went to the wrong address for a cleaning job, according to local authorities.
Officers responded to a 911 call in Whitestown, a northwest suburb of Indianapolis, around 6:50 a.m. for reports of a “‘possible” break-in in progress at a home.
Upon arriving to the scene, officers located “an adult female who sustained a gunshot wound, along with an adult male on the front porch of the residence,” Whitestown police said in a statement.
Lifesaving measures were unsuccessful and the woman was declared dead at the scene.
Investigators quickly discovered it was not a home invasion or burglary, and that neither the woman nor a man with her had gone inside the home.
“It was later determined that the individuals attempting to enter the home were members of a cleaning crew who had mistakenly arrived at the wrong address,” police said.
The woman was identified late Wednesday night as Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a mother of four, according to WTTV. The 32-year-old was an immigrant from Guatemala, whose children range in age from 17 years old to an infant about to turn 1.
The man with her that day was identified as her husband, Mauricio Velazquez. He told the outlet his wife was shot through the door while they were on the porch, and that he held her as she bled until authorities arrived.
Police and Boone County prosecutors are currently working to determine whether a crime was committed or if the shooting was justified through the state’s “stand your ground” law.
“We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and speculation,” police said. “We respectfully ask the public to place their trust in the investigative process and refrain from sharing unverified information. These cases are often complex and require time to fully understand. Misinformation can be harmful to those involved and to the integrity of the investigation.”
Similar wrong address shootings that have occurred in upstate New York and Missouri have both led to convictions.
