The sheriff's office claimed that after breaking in, he got into a physical argument with the woman "which ultimately led to Rheams being shot by the homeowner."
A mother in Louisiana allegedly shot and killed a home invasion suspect to "protect herself and her children," per the local authorities. Shortly after 5 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, deputies were dispatched to a gunshot in Hammond. Investigators found that the suspect, 51-year-old Robert Rheams, had a shovel and a lug wrench with him when he broke into the victim's and her two young children's home, according to law enforcement officials.
The sheriff's office claimed that after breaking in, he got into a physical argument with the woman "which ultimately led to Rheams being shot by the homeowner." Rheams of Hammond was declared dead on the spot, per CBS News.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office Chief Jimmy Travis concluded the case appears to be a "homeowner exercising Second Amendment rights to protect herself and her children from a violent home invasion." Travis shared with Law and Crime that the suspect had an altercation with a woman earlier in the evening at a motel. While smoking nearby, another man overheard this.
Rheams requested a ride from the smoker. The man, a visitor from out of town, agreed. The chief stated that the driver took Rheams to a house, but nobody opened the door. Rheams abruptly assaulted the driver as they continued to drive, and the car got stuck and they crashed into a ditch. The driver from the earlier incident is doing well, “kind of shaken and upset” with bruises and contusions, but nothing requiring medical help, Travis said.
Mother wrestles and shoots home intruder, Robert Rheams, dead https://t.co/PdgfhzPa8g
— Quickie News 24/7 (@updatesplug247) January 10, 2023
A Louisiana mom shot a man dead after he broke into her house while she was home with her two young children on Sunday, Jan. 8, police said. The suspect, Robert Rheams, allegedly broke into t...
Travis believed that the ditch was three blocks from the mother's home on Klein Road, where she lived with her two young children. The chief revealed that the suspect entered the sleeping mother's bedroom while wearing a face mask to conceal his identity. According to the chief, the suspect “started after her with the shovel,” but the woman managed to defend herself by shooting him. The woman and her children were uninjured, he said, but added that “She’s got to be upset and shaken over it.”
Louisiana mother fatally shoots intruder armed with a shovel to protect her children, police say https://t.co/8wr06yQPc3
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 11, 2023
Travis stated that no motive was known. He stated that they suspect Rheams was attempting to steal an automobile and went into the woman's home to maybe obtain car keys. Authorities said they were awaiting autopsy results to determine whether Rheams had been under the influence of drugs.
At the time of the house invasion, Rheams was on parole after serving 20 years in jail for armed robbery, according to the sheriff's office. In the investigation, no one has been taken into custody. After the investigation is over, the case will be sent to the district attorney's office for evaluation.
A Louisiana mother protecting her children shot and killed a home intruder just before dawn Sunday, authorities said. https://t.co/5QrX9arc8s
— WRBL News 3 (@wrblnews3) January 11, 2023
References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/louisiana-mother-kills-home-invasion-suspect-robert-rheams-hammond/
Cover Image Source: Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office
