Cleaning crew member shot and killed on porch after arriving at the wrong house

[IceIce9]

agree, his irrational choices left a woman dead. There is no amount of sugar coating that can change that fact. JMO

This 100%.

 

[CuriousCricket]

I disagree with “through no fault of his own”

He shot through his front door knowing someone was standing on the other side of it. Whose fault was it? A person who owns a firearm needs to use it responsibly.

She had not gained access to his home.

Yes, it is a nightmare. But a nightmare for the children, husband, extended family, friends, and all who knew and loved her.

JMO

The post said: "Then, through no fault of his own, he is faced with a nightmare."

What I saw as no fault of his was someone trying to enter his home. For me, that would be a nightmare.

 

[CuriousCricket]

No fault of his own? Shooting through a door is something no decent human being would ever do. JMO

It was not his fault someone was attempting to enter his home. As stated, that was the nightmare.

 

[Lebowski]

It was not his fault someone was attempting to enter his home. As stated, that was the nightmare.

someone breaking in is a nightmare. they were not breaking in, they were just trying to enter. (a reasonable person knows the difference.) and they were obviously failing at it. and the police were on the way.

and even in states with SYG laws, killing people is supposed to be your last resort, not your first or second one. he did call 911 first. that's better than nothing. but he didn't give them time to act and then he skipped several other possible off ramps.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Did he call 911 before or after shooting her?

 

[Rolypolyoly]

Did he call 911 before or after shooting her?

Before

 

[MrsWatson]

I'm very curious if Maria and her husband had obvious cleaning supplies in hand, like a vacuum, mops, one of those handy carrier things that fits all the sprays, etc.

If so, and they were seen on camera, how did the homeowner jump to the conclusion they were breaking in? They were going to break in and what? Clean their house?

 

[Rolypolyoly]

I'm very curious if Maria and her husband had obvious cleaning supplies in hand, like a vacuum, mops, one of those handy carrier things that fits all the sprays, etc.

If so, and they were seen on camera, how did the homeowner jump to the conclusion they were breaking in? They were going to break in and what? Clean their house?

Was there a camera? I have only read that the shooter saw Maria and her husband on the porch from an upstairs window, though it seems he had a pretty decent view, good enough to determine the people on his porch were Hispanic.
I would wager that they were carrying at least some supplies, like you say, one of those little caddies with visible bottles and dusters etc. I wonder if the cleaning company provides uniforms?

 

[Lebowski]

I'm very curious if Maria and her husband had obvious cleaning supplies in hand, like a vacuum, mops, one of those handy carrier things that fits all the sprays, etc.

If so, and they were seen on camera, how did the homeowner jump to the conclusion they were breaking in? They were going to break in and what? Clean their house?

and/or driving a car labeled "SO AND SO CLEANING SERVICE"

i'm wondering too

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Before

Are we 100% sure? If the homeowner was on the phone with 911 before the shooting, I strongly believe the 911 operator would have told him to stay locked in the room, and this would mean he disregarded those instructions, which makes him even more guilty of a crime, in my opinion.

 

[Leo :) <3]

I truly think that they should serve jail time. That poor woman showed up at the wrong house by accident, and was brutally murdered, robbed of life for no reason. She wasn't showing any sort of threat at all. I do hope her and her family get justice.

 

[louvillian08]

Was there a camera? I have only read that the shooter saw Maria and her husband on the porch from an upstairs window, though it seems he had a pretty decent view, good enough to determine the people on his porch were Hispanic.
I would wager that they were carrying at least some supplies, like you say, one of those little caddies with visible bottles and dusters etc. I wonder if the cleaning company provides uniforms?

The exact quote from the article is "called 911 at 6:49 a.m. Wednesday to report two Hispanic people trying to break in while he and his wife were in an upstairs bedroom." Nothing about seeing them from a window. That could be the case or it could be a doorbell camera

 

[Lebowski]

two hypotheticals here. if there was a doorbell camera, and if (like many of them) it had an intercom, that would be another way he could have communicated with them and asked what they wanted / told them to go away / warned them / threatened them / said he had a gun, etc.. it would be yet another option he apparently skipped.

lots of ifs here, admittedly

 

[louvillian08]

Are we 100% sure? If the homeowner was on the phone with 911 before the shooting, I strongly believe the 911 operator would have told him to stay locked in the room, and this would mean he disregarded those instructions, which makes him even more guilty of a crime, in my opinion.

Yes. The initial 911 call was to report a break-in. The husband's 911 call reporting a shooting happened later

<modsnip: not an approved source>

Hundreds mourn cleaning worker shot, killed after going to wrong Whitestown home

At the funeral home Sunday, family, friends and strangers paid their respects to Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez, a mother of four.

www.wthr.com

Cleaning job turned fatal when couple arrived at wrong home in Whitestown

The couple was hired by Ryan Homes to clean the windows of a model home in their brand new Whitestown community, Windswept Farms, according to Boone County dispatch records.

www.reporter.net

Statement from Police

 

[Leo :) <3]

It was not his fault someone was attempting to enter his home. As stated, that was the nightmare.

Were they attempting to break in? Or were they knocking on the door or something? Because there's a very high chance the poor person was unaware that they were at the wrong address or posing a "threat"

 

[Leo :) <3]

two hypotheticals here. if there was a doorbell camera, and if (like many of them) it had an intercom, that would be another way he could have communicated with them and asked what they wanted / told them to go away / warned them / threatened them / said he had a gun, etc.. it would be yet another option he apparently skipped.

lots of ifs here, admittedly

Exactly this. The chances he actually felt threatened are slim

 

[Lebowski]

Were they attempting to break in? Or were they knocking on the door or something? Because there's a very high chance the poor person was unaware that they were at the wrong address or posing a "threat"

they were trying to open the door with keys they had that weren't working because they weren't at the right house. i think people generally agree that having random strangers try to unlock your door is more alarming than knocking, but the debate is centering on whether it amounts to a "home invasion" that he reasonably perceived to leave him no choice but to start shooting through a locked door.

 

[louvillian08]

two hypotheticals here. if there was a doorbell camera, and if (like many of them) it had an intercom, that would be another way he could have communicated with them and asked what they wanted / told them to go away / warned them / threatened them / said he had a gun, etc.. it would be yet another option he apparently skipped.

lots of ifs here, admittedly

In complete agreement with you. Conversely, it seems like an uphill battle to argue that you saw two people on your porch, from your 2nd story bedroom window, and knew/assumed they were trying to break-in. I'm leaning towards a doorbell camera and that's how the homeowner saw the victim with a set of keys (still conflicting details about whether Maria actually tried the key in the door or not.)

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

I found this to be an interesting statement by the Boone County Prosecutor.

Eastwood, who has been a prosecutor for more than 25 years, said the case is complex due to the language of the state's stand your ground law.

"It might need to be revisited," he said of the law.

MSN

 

[borndem]

This is exactly why this discussion might be so important. Yes, you might be being sent to a new home in which no one has ever lived. However, after this case, aren't you now aware of the possibility you might have the wrong house? Can't you now see the value of knocking first?

I'm sure this has been mentioned, but it gnaws at me...
An empty house/apt -- did the cleaning-crew person/s contact the one who hired the person/s when the person was in front of or near the dwelling? At least confirm the correct street and the house/apartment's address? (Maybe it could have already been done -- but either the sub-division or street or house address was incorrect -- nothing wrong with checking one more time if/when the person who came there went to the wrong address.)
So horribly sad.