Wrong address turned deadly in Whitestown shooting
WHITESTOWN — Police say a member of a cleaning crew arrived at the wrong address just before 7 a.m. Wednesday, and was shot by the homeowner, who fired from inside the house.
Officers were notified of a possible home invasion in the Heritage subdivision. When they arrived, they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound that police say came from inside the home. Medical personnel moved her off the front porch and into the street to render life-saving aid, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting has left the community shaken.
“It’s a little scary, but you know, you got to know the whole story,” Bev Selky, a Whitestown resident, said.
According to Whitestown police, the people attempting to enter the home were members of a cleaning crew who mistakenly arrived at the wrong address. A bullet hole is visible in the front door; police say the door was never opened, and the homeowner shot the woman through the door.
Questions have been raised about whether Indiana’s stand-your-ground law would make the shooting justifiable. Jody Maderia with the Maurer School of Law explains.
“Usually I would say that shooting blindly through a closed door often triggers a prosecution unless the evidence strongly support statutory justifications,” Madeira said. “So basically you have to look at, does this qualify as unlawful entry or an attack on the dwelling?”
It is unclear whether the homeowner will face charges. Some neighbors expressed their own views.
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