A house cleaner was shot to death at a home near Indianapolis on Wednesday morning after her crew “mistakenly arrived at the wrong address,” authorities said.
Officers responded to a 911 call in Whitestown, reporting a “‘possible” residential entry in progress at a home in the Heritage subdivision” at 6:49 a.m., according to a police statement.
At the home, officers found “an adult female who sustained a gunshot wound, along with an adult male on the front porch of the residence,” police said.
Lifesaving measures were attempted on the woman, but she was declared dead at the scene, police said.
“It was later determined that the individuals attempting to enter the home were members of a cleaning crew who had mistakenly arrived at the wrong address,” according to the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department statement.
Investigators quickly concluded this was not a home invasion or a burglary. Police confirmed this was an isolated incident.
“The loss of life is always a profound tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected,” police said.
Police pleaded with the public not to rush to any conclusions as they and Boone County prosecutors try to determine if a crime was committed.
“We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and speculation,” police said. “We respectfully ask the public to place their trust in the investigative process and refrain from sharing unverified information. These cases are often complex and require time to fully understand. Misinformation can be harmful to those involved and to the integrity of the investigation.”
Indiana has relatively strong “stand your ground” protections for homeowners to defend their dwellings against threats, Boone County Prosecutor Kent Eastwood said.
“When it comes to a dwelling, individuals can use reasonable force, including deadly force, against another person,” Eastwood told NBC News.
“They have no duty to retreat, that’s in the law. That person who uses that force has to reasonably believe that the force is necessary to prevent or terminate an awful entry or attack on the person’s dwelling.”
