A convicted felon wearing a ski mask and armed with a shovel and lug wrench tried breaking into a home in Hammond, Louisiana and learned the hard way that attacking a momma bear who just wants to defend her children is the worst of ideas when that angry momma is armed.
According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, the 51-year-old felon was found deceased after a home invasion led to a shooting in Hammond. Beginning, the sheriff’s office said that its deputies responded to reports of shorts fired and, upon arriving, detectives figured out who the home invader was and what situation led to the shooting. It said, on Facebook:
Chief Jimmy Travis says deputies responded to reports of shots fired at a residence on Klein Road shortly after 5:00 AM on Sunday. During the course of the investigation, detectives were able to determine the suspect, later identified as 51 year old Robert Rheams of Hammond, was armed with a shovel and a lug wrench when he forced entry into the home of the victim and her two young children.
Continuing, the sheriff’s office noted that the homeowner shot Rheams, the home invader who was later found dead, and that Rheams was pronounced deceased at the scene. It said: “During the incident, a physical altercation took place between Rheams and the homeowner which ultimately led to Rheams being shot by the homeowner. Rheams was later pronounced deceased on scene by the Tangipahoa Parish Coroner’s Office.“
The home invader being Robert Rheams is important because Rheams was a convicted armed robber who was on parole after serving a twenty-year prison sentence for the armed robbery conviction. Such is what the sheriff’s office noted in the Facebook post, saying, “At the time of the incident, Rheams was out on parole after serving approximately 20 years in prison for armed robbery. Detectives have also been able to tie Rheams to a carjacking which occurred hours prior to the home invasion.“
Concluding, the sheriff’s office noted that this appeared to be a very clear case of a homeowner exercising her second amendment rights and defending herself and her children from an armed attacker in her home. The post said: “Chief Travis adds that 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. Chief Travis concludes by adding this case appears to be a homeowner exercising second amendment rights to protect herself and her children from a violent home invasion.”
According to Fox 8 Live, Rheams was also, after the shooting, tied to both an attempted carjacking and robbery of a deli. The attempted carjacking occurred just a few hours prior to the home invasion and the deli robbery occurred the day beforehand. Further, the home invasion appeared to have been just a random attempted robbery of opportunity and the deputies did not believe that Rheams and the homeowner knew each other.
Featured image credit: Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office
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