US officials are looking into whether to file charges against an Indiana homeowner who shot and killed a house cleaner who mistakenly showed up at the wrong address.
Police found Maria Florinda Rios Perez dead in her husband's arms on the front porch of a home on Wednesday shortly before 7:00 AM local time. Authorities had been responding to a call about a possible home invasion in the Indianapolis suburb of Whitestown, but the two did not appear to have entered the home, according to a police statement.
The case has been formally submitted to the Boone County Prosecutor's Office for review to determine whether criminal charges will be brought. Police have not identified the people in the home or who fired the shot, describing it as a complex, delicate, and evolving case, and urged patience, warning of misinformation spreading online regarding the incident.
Mauricio Velazquez, the husband of Rios Perez, called for justice for his wife, who was a mother of four and originally from Guatemala. He stated that the bullet came through the door of the house. They should've called the police first instead of just shooting out of nowhere like that, he said through an interpreter.
The Boone County prosecutor, Kent Eastwood, noted that the situation is complex due to Indiana's stand-your-ground law, which permits individuals to protect themselves using reasonable force, including deadly force, in certain situations.
Similar instances have made headlines across the U.S. in recent years, raising concerns and discussions surrounding self-defense rights and the use of lethal force against individuals who may unintentionally come onto private property.
