A tragic mistake took place last week in Whitestown. Thirty-two-year-old María Florinda Ríos Pérez de Velásquez came to the United States as an immigrant from Guatemala with her husband, with whom she has four children.
She and her husband earned a living by providing cleaning services, which was also the case on her fateful day. When they rang the doorbell of the supposed customer early in the morning, he did not answer and instead pulled the trigger because – as he claims – he felt threatened.
Mrs. María was killed by the shot on the spot, she jumped on the porch into the arms of her husband, who could not help her in any way. “It’s so unfair. She was just trying to bring home a daily bread to feed her family,” the victim’s brother, Rudy Rios, told NBC News.
“She accidentally went to another house, but he (the shooter) shouldn’t have taken her life. She didn’t threaten anyone, she didn’t have anything in her hands,” added the sibling of Mrs. Maria, who is survived by four children aged between one and 17 years.
Despite the violent death of the cleaner, the authorities are still reluctant to press charges, and the shooter, whose identity has not been released, remains at large. According to the local sheriff’s office, investigators are looking into whether the homeowner violated a law in Indiana that allows people to use a gun if they feel threatened in their home.
“Manslaughter in this case means that the death occurred by the voluntary act of another person, which does not necessarily mean criminal intent,” said District Coroner Justin Sparks.
The surviving family is in shock from the tragedy. In the meantime, her acquaintances started a collection on the Internet to pay for the funeral, psychological help and to finance a new start for the survivors.
