The early morning quiet of a Whitestown, Indiana subdivision was shattered Wednesday by a fatal misunderstanding. A house cleaner, arriving for a routine job, was shot and killed on the front porch of a home she was never supposed to be at, marking another tragedy in a disturbing string of “wrong address” shootings.
A Deadly Case of Mistaken Address
At 6:49 a.m., the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department (WMPD) responded to a 911 call reporting a possible break-in. When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman on the home’s front porch. The woman, shot and unresponsive, was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was uninjured.
The investigation quickly revealed this was not a break-in, but a devastating error.
The pair, identified by CBS affiliate WTTV as Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a mother of four, and her husband, Mauricio Velazquez, ran a cleaning crew. They had mistakenly arrived at the wrong address for their first job of the day.
Police stated the couple did not appear to have made any attempt to enter the home.
“They Should’ve Called the Police First”
In a heartbreaking interview with WTTV, Velazquez recounted the moments that led to his wife’s death. He told the station that the shot that struck Perez was fired through the home’s door. A bullet hole was reportedly visible.
Velazquez said he never saw who fired the fatal shot.
“They should’ve called the police first instead of just shooting out of nowhere like that,” Velazquez told the station through an interpreter.
The investigation is active and ongoing. Police have not released the identity of the person inside the home but confirmed in a statement that “all individuals involved” are being interviewed. Investigators have also recovered a firearm.
The WMPD stated it was working with the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office “to ensure every aspect of this case is handled with care and diligence.”
A Disturbing National Trend?
This tragic incident is not an isolated event. It adds another name to a growing, and terrifying, list of shootings involving people who simply went to the wrong address.
This pattern gained national attention in April 2023, a month that saw multiple, similar tragedies:
- Ralph Yarl: The 16-year-old was shot and wounded in Kansas City after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house while trying to pick up his younger siblings.
- Kaylin Gillis: The 20-year-old was shot and killed in upstate New York when the car she was in turned into the wrong driveway.
- Robert Dotson: Police in New Mexico, responding to a domestic violence call at the wrong address, shot and killed the 52-year-old homeowner when he answered the door.
The WMPD has asked for the public’s patience, stating, “We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and speculation. … These cases are often complex and require time to fully understand.”
As the investigation into the death of Maria Perez continues, it leaves her family and community grappling with how a simple, everyday mistake could turn so deadly.