A routine cleaning job in Whitestown, Indiana, turned into a nightmare Wednesday morning. 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez was fatally shot after her team reportedly went to the wrong address. And, what should have been just another workday for the Indianapolis mom ended in tragedy. Now, her husband and four children are left devastated, while the community lives in shock.
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Maria’s Husband Recalls Horror Of Fatal Shooting
According to reports, police responded to a 911 call just before 7 a.m. and found Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez dead. She was reportedly on the “front porch of the residence” with a gunshot wound to the head. Maria was immediately pronounced dead, leaving her husband Mauricio Velasquez and their four children, including an 11-month-old, reeling in shock. Mauricio told WRTV he was with his wife when the shooting happened and described the horrifying scene.
“I never thought it was a shot, but I realized when my wife took two steps back, she looked like she’d been hit in the head,” he said through tears. “She fell into my arms, and I saw the blood. It went everywhere.”
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The family had been just been cleaning homes together for seven months. And now, they are left grappling with a tragic loss that feels unimaginable.
Shooter Inside Home, Investigation Ongoing
Police confirmed the shot was fired from inside the house by one of the residents, though they have not released the shooter’s identity, citing the “complex, delicate, and evolving” nature of the case. Detectives continue to investigate, trying to determine exactly what happened and what charges may apply. The department has also publicly denied false social media rumors that a police officer lived at the home, calling the misinformation “false and misleading.”
Prosecutors Review Case As Maria’s Family Seeks Justice
The case has been formally submitted to the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office. Kent Eastwood, the prosecutor, tells ABC News that his office hopes to make a charging decision within the next couple of weeks. Mauricio, still grieving, pleaded for justice: “What I need now is for there to be justice, because he took her life, in that sense. I don’t believe that’s human.” Meanwhile, the community is left shaken by a fatal mix-up that turned a simple morning job into a devastating tragedy.
