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A woman was fatally shot after she mistakenly arrived at the wrong address for a cleaning job, according to authorities in Indiana.
Just after 6:45 a.m. Nov. 5, police received a 911 call about a suspected home invasion on Maize Lane in The Heritage, a Whitestown subdivision in Boone County. Officers who arrived at the scene found a woman dead from a gunshot wound. Her coworker, who was on the front porch when authorities arrived, was not shot.
Investigators quickly determined that the woman was not attempting to break in to the home. She was instead part of a cleaning crew that mistakenly showed up at the wrong house.
Mauricio Velázquez said he checked the location of the address twice, and drove around the Whitestown subdivision once to confirm he and his wife were at the right home. The couple, self-employed house cleaners, approached the two-story home on the quiet street before dawn.
Velázquez was looking for the correct key on a ring, and Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez jokingly told her husband he was losing his sight, taking the keys from his hand.
"She didn't even put the key in when I heard the shot happen," Velázquez told IndyStar through a loved one who translated. "I saw my wife had stepped back twice, and then the keys dropped. Then she dropped, and I went to catch her. I was trying to console her and tell her everything was going to OK, but I was seeing the blood coming out."
Just after 6:45 a.m., Whitestown Metropolitan Police received a 911 call about a suspected home invasion on Maize Lane. There, officers found the 32-year-old mother of four on the porch of a home. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, 32, was a mother of four
Twelve hours later, Velázquez sat with his three daughters, 17-year-old Sayda, 10-year-old Gricelda, 8-year-old Greysi, and his son Yonathan, who is about to turn 1. He clutched a photo of his wife and cried with his family. Behind them was an altar lit with prayer candles, and a photo of Ríos Pérez in the center.
Over 30 people filled the home of Ríos Pérez's brother in Indianapolis to support the family Wednesday evening. Visitors had come in and out all day to pray with the family, cook for them, and offer support while they grieved.
Velázquez said he has to be more of a provider now to make sure all four of his children succeed in life.
"Just pray for my family," he said. "Raising them isn't going to be easy."
Family members described Ríos Pérez as having a big smile and being very kind. She was hard-working and loved to dress up herself and her kids.
"For me, she was the love of my life. She was a good wife and a good mother," Velázquez said.
Ríos Pérez is originally from Quetzaltenango in Guatemala. That's where she and Velázquez met, and they had only been in Indianapolis with their family for one year.
Whitestown shooting initially called a home invasion
Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting a possible home invasion in the Heritage subdivision. Officers found Ríos Pérez shot dead on the front porch of the home.
Although it's still an active investigation, police said Nov. 5 that the facts gathered do not support the theory that a home invasion was happening. They said that the couple were attempting to enter the home as members of a cleaning crew who mistakenly arrived at the wrong address. Velázquez insisted in the interview with IndyStar that they were at the correct house.
"The loss of life is always a profound tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected," the statement read. "WMPD is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation. Our detectives are interviewing all individuals involved, and our crime scene investigators are meticulously collecting and analyzing all relevant evidence to understand the full scope of what occurred."
Captain John Jurkash, a public information officer for Whitestown's police department, said he could not comment on whether the shooter has been questioned by police. Family members of the home's owner reached by IndyStar did not have any additional information.
The statement said Whitestown police won't be providing their next official update before next week.
Velázquez said whoever shot his wife should have called the police first instead of shooting.
He's demanding justice.
Meanwhile, the family is trying to repatriate her body back home to Guatemala.
Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. Communities reporter Ryan Murphy contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Woman fatally shot in Indiana after arriving at wrong address for cleaning job
Reporting by Jade Jackson and Ryan Murphy, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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