HAMMOND, La. — A mother shot and killed a man who broke into her home while she was trying to protect her two young children in Hammond, Louisiana on Sunday, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office.
This happened at 5 a.m. at a home on Klein Road. Chief Jimmy Travis said deputies responded to the house after a report of shots being fired.
During the investigation, detectives determined that a man later identified as Robert Rheams, 51, of Hammond, was armed with a shovel and lug wrench when he broke into the home of the mother and her two children.
Travis said there was a physical struggle between the mother and Rheams which led to her shooting him. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner's Office
Investigators said that at the time of the incident, Rheams was out on parole after serving 20 years in prison for armed robbery. They also tied Rheams to a carjacking that occurred hours prior to the home invasion.
Travis said, as of this time, no arrests were made in this investigation. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for further review.
