A cleaning crew worker in Indiana was shot and killed by a homeowner after she showed up at the wrong address, authorities said.
Police in Whitestown, approximately 20 miles northwest of Indianapolis, said officers responded to a possible home invasion at a residence on Wednesday morning. Police arrived and found Maria Florinda Rios Perez, 32, on the front porch of the home, having been fatally shot, authorities said.
Investigators later found out she never entered the home.
Perez’s husband witnessed the shooting unfold from steps away, reported WTHR, the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis.
“It is not easy when the person you love is taken from you just like that,” Mauricio Velasquez said. “For me, at that moment, seeing my wife in my arms, already lifeless, covered in blood, I felt like they tore everything from me.”
Perez leaves behind four children – from 17 years old to 11 months old.
“It’s not possible that he is free, while the children are suffering with their pain for their mother,” Velasquez said.
Perez’s cousin, Wilmer Alvarez, wants to know why the shooter couldn’t just injure her instead of taking her life.
“if he was so threatened, at the very least, if he was that angry, he could have shot her in the leg, immobilized her,” Alvarez stated.
The entire family is pushing for justice so they can find some peace.
“The only thing the family is demanding is justice for that coward, because that coward is one of the worst kinds of people there can be here,” Alvarez said.
Relatives said Perez was a hard worker, a good mother and always attended church.
“Very sad for her, because she was a good woman, she was a fighter,” Velasquez stated.
Whitestown police said the investigation remained open, and they plan to give an update sometime next week.
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