The case of an Indiana homeowner who shot dead a cleaning lady who mistakenly went to the wrong address is being heard in the US.
Police said Maria Florinda Rios Perez was found dead on the porch of the house in her husband’s arms on Wednesday shortly before 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT).
Police responded to a call about a possible burglary at a home in the Indianapolis suburb of Wheatstown. According to police, a pair of caretakers did not appear to have entered the home.
Law enforcement officials have officially turned the case over to the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office to consider filing criminal charges.
Police have not released the identities of the people who were in the home or said who fired the shots, indicating in a statement Friday that it is “a complex, sensitive, evolving matter and disclosure of this information would be both inappropriate and potentially dangerous.”
Law enforcement officials urged patience, warning of a “disturbing proliferation of misinformation on the Internet” about the case.
Mauricio Velasquez, who was with his 32-year-old wife when she was shot, told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, which is seeking justice for her.
She was a mother of four children originally from Guatemala, according to media reports.
In an interview with local CBS affiliate WTTV, Velasquez said the bullet came through the door of the home.
“They should have called the police first, not just shot out of nowhere,” he said through a translator.
Photo: CBS
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Self-defence laws are in place in many US states and generally allow a person to defend themselves with reasonable force, including deadly force, to prevent death or serious bodily injury.
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recent years, similar incidents have repeatedly made headlines in the U.S. media.
In 2023, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot twice when he rang the doorbell of a stranger’s home in Missouri. Andrew Lester, who was over 80 years old, pleaded guilty and died while awaiting sentencing.
In New York State, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed when she drove into the wrong house. The owner of the house who did the shooting is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence.