Robert Rheams via Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office.
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Don’t mess with a mama bear. Or bring a shovel to a gun fight. A Hammond, Louisiana woman faced down a masked home invader in her bedroom last Sunday morning. As he beat her with a shovel, she managed to access her pistol and shot her attacker repeatedly to protect herself and her children.

It turns out her attacker had attacked and carjacked a good Samaritan hours earlier. Following the mother’s application of deadly force, the attacker died at the scene.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Robert Rheams, 51, of Hammond, Louisiana. Rheams, who was virtually a one-man crime wave, had recently been released after serving twenty years for armed robbery.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office has the dramatic details from their Facebook page:

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office reports one subject is deceased following a home invasion at a Hammond residence, which occurred in the early morning hours of January 8, 2023.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How about that? “…a homeowner exercising second amendment rights to protect herself and her children from a violent home invasion.”

Amen, Chief Travis.

Hopefully the mother has a second firearm for home defense since deputies probably seized her gun as evidence.

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73 COMMENTS

  1. Feel good story of the day. Almost 20 incarcerated and didn’t learn a thing, except maybe how to be a better criminal.

  2. harsh as it may sound, some people earn themselves a bullet. This seems to be one of those cases.

    Quick recovery to mom.

    • “some people earn themselves a bullet“

      With his direct lethal assault upon several homes, did this Republican politician earn himself a bullet?

      “(Reuters) – An unsuccessful Republican state House candidate in New Mexico was arrested on Monday and accused of orchestrating recent shootings at four local elected officials’ homes, the Albuquerque Police Department said.

      Police said on Monday they had arrested Solomon Pena, 39, and accused him of conspiring with, and paying, four other men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, all Democrats. Police said they had evidence Pena had fired some shots.

      Pena lost his election for the state House in November to an incumbent Democrat who garnered more than 73% of the votes.“

      https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-candidate-arrested-shootings-democrats-homes-new-mexico-2023-01-17/

      • What has this to do with the woman protecting her family by shooting an armed invader?

        If you search the records you will certainly find democrats who did the same as Pena along with many others hiring or participating in shooting someone to beat them in some contest. The your point has no meaning.

      • Miner, he earned himself some jail time. Like the coward he is, he shot at the house hoping to hit someone. Now that he is no longer a threat, does he deserve a bullet? No.

      • As a conservative AND a Republican, I would say he surely did. As did the actual shooters. Shoot up MY place some night and I’ll do my best to put and end to the situation. What was this guy thinking???

  3. Too soon to joke about him doing some of the prep work for body disposal for her? Excellent to hear repeatedly re stopping the threat.

    • “Too soon to joke about him doing some of the prep work for body disposal for her?”

      You beat me to it… 🙂

  4. The shovel was considered an “arm” in Old England by the government. And was banned by that same government. So the common peasants were not allowed to have a shovel.

    Criminals “don’t need no stinking guns”. They’re very resourceful at finding anything they can use to kill someone with any object.

    Good on this gun chick with a gun. She saved the tax payer.

    • Had Mr. Rheams killed the lady and children with that shovel, thank heaven’s their deaths would not have been due to gun violence. Because that would have made their victimization even worse.

      And of course the police chief was spreading misinformation about the lady defending herself per the 2A, because it’s settled science that just doesn’t happen.

      • They don’t believe a mother has a right to kill if necessary, to protect herself and her children. To them it’s ok to invade a persons home.

        • Who are ”THEY” who do not believe that woman has the right to protect her children as the law allows ??.

          And who are ”THEY” that believe it’s OK to invade a person’s home?

        • fyi
          Only you and the fascist/communist left believe killing a home invader is complicated. You and the left have never believed in private property rights. And neither did the old English/European governments.

          The serfs didn’t own anything. What you, thought, you owned. Was quickly and easily taken from you. When the government thought you got out of line.

          “Attorneys: New Jersey law on defending self in your home is complicated”

          https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/story/news/2017/07/14/attorneys-new-jersey-law-on/17656356007/

    • Shovels banned in OLD ENGLAND?? So why not Old Scotland. Old Wales and Old Ireland. Never heard such bull

      • Shovels (and other things) for serfs/servants were banned at one point in Old England to control access to things that could be used as weapons to depose their masters. Bowling was once banned in Old England because it was considered a distraction from archery practice which male citizens needed to keep their skills sharp for war. Coffee shops were once banned in Old England to basically suppress ‘entrepreneurs’.

        Today there are even more ridiculous bans in the U.K., for example, in the U.K. there was an archaic ban on public displays of affection in some social settings in public, today schools in the U.K. have dusted that off and are using it to prohibit students hugging, holding hands, and romantic relationships and their justification is “engenders mutual respect and encourages pupils to behave professionally as any future employer would expect.” …

        Today the U.K. government can ban or restrict at will when ever they choose and the people can’t do anything about it except maybe howl and cuss. They frequently restrict your media, and basically run your media – half the things that happen in the U.K. don’t get reported in your media because they government prohibits the reporting – you do not have a free press nor do you have a fundamental inherent right to free speech in the U.K and a concept of free speech generally does not exist as a fundamental right within the country. Rather, U.K. subjects-who-think-they-are-citizens have what is called a ‘negative right to freedom of expression’ under the common law and the government can ban that exercise at any time it chooses. You are subjects in reality and not citizens.

        England’s government has always been all about a subservient docile controllable population. There are many more things you accept as ‘normal’ because you have been raised to see it as normal, you have no concept of liberty freedom and only have the concept of ‘freedom’ the government tells the people they have. There are many more things that are part of the modern day form of feudal tyranny under which you live in the U.K. and you don’t know it because your whole society over generations has been trained to accept it as normal and freedom – you have the illusion your government wants you to have – you are a conquered people and don’t even realize it.

      • Possibly(?) spades were “banned”, as they can very easily be turned into sharp and deadly melee weapons, as shown in the trenches of ww1…. First I’ve heard of “shovel bans”, tho.. What about pitchforks and the common hoe?

  5. “Kills Home Intruder Armed With a Shovel”

    The intruder was considerate enough to bring the shovel for a “Shoot, shovel, and shut up.”

    …but I don’t blame the homeowner for not shutting up… 🙂

  6. “Hopefully the mother had a second gun as here’s was probably seized for evidence.” That’s why you keep a double. I carried a 1911 on duty for 25 years. I kept a 1/2 dozen others in the safe. One goes into evidence. Another goes into the holster.

  7. What corrosion, deterioration, decay, damage of the soul has to occur to bring a person to attack, with a shovel, a mother at home with her children? What misery must be in one’s mind to set off such a psychopathic, vicious attack?

    I am not feeling sorry for the perp, I am trying to comprehend how someone could be so pathetically abusive.

    • Awww c’mon Lifesavor you know the drill. The heart is deceitful above all things & desperately wicked. Buy a backhoe…

    • I know you have a religious back ground and training. I respect that though I have no faith of my own.

      But some people are just born evil. I’ve seen it all my life and it is one reason I will never disarm. Folks waste time, energy, resources trying to answer why? There is no answer. Some are just born broken.

      • Jethro,

        Cannot argue with you. I spent 3 years as a jail chaplain; experienced some frightening moments. Still, I do wonder, but probably like a frog staring at the Matisse water lillies: just not going to get it.

        • You should write a book to be published in the far future after your passing. Those jailhouse confessions are probably quite bizarre.

      • I learned this the hard way. I made some of the wrong friends because “everyone has good in them.”

        A lifetime of learning for me afterwards. I’m not convinced about owning my own gun, even after reading this. But I did get pepper spray for myself and my daughter, even in our great neighborhood.

        Some people are born evil.

    • most criminals are sociopaths and totally lacking in empathy….their world revolves around them…

  8. This woman never would have experienced this if his previous attack would have resulted in his death. More people need to carry firearms.

  9. DSAF:
    Did
    Society
    A
    Favor
    give that woman
    a parenting
    and citizenship award
    and a check
    equal to half the amount of money
    that the government was going to pay
    to keep this guy behind bars
    for the next 5 years

  10. I will not rest until we have full shovel control.
    How many must die while the farm implement industry washes itself in the blood of victims?

    • Hear hear!

      We must immediately pass legislation requiring background checks before a person can purchase a shovel.

      • Speaking of hear hear…It may sound like a bad idea but it’s a good idea to hear and feel what it is like to shoot inside a house and outside without ear protection. After 2 or 3 inside 9mm rounds what to expect is pretty much memorized, just in case a perp enters your home with a shovel you won’t have to learn on the job.

        • On the one hand, experiencing the boom of indoor gunshots (so that you are mentally prepared if you ever have to shoot in self-defense) is a good thing.

          On the other hand, experiencing the boom of indoor gunshots has a serious likelihood of causing some permanent hearing loss and is a bad thing.

          In my mind, the risk of permanent hearing loss outweighs the risk that lack of experience with indoor gunshots will cause me to fail to stop a home-invader. Your mileage may vary.

        • I, as you say, “learned on the job” with a 9mm in our living room. The wife, still on the floor where our attacker had thrown her, and the neighbors (they claimed) heard the shots. I did not, too much shock and adrenaline, most likely.

    • Not sure how it applies to Christians. It’s a common jailhouse tat. Each tear signifies a person he has killed. Anybody willing to broadcast that should be hung in public and cremated, with their ashes put in the urinal trough of a major sporting event.

      • “Each tear signifies a person he has killed.”

        Or a year in the state ‘Big House’…

      • Or the number of months or years he/she has done. Heart or tear tattoos for a child lost to abortion or infant death. It means many things to many people – it starts in reform school. Now a shamrock, swastika, iron cross, TCOB tat does mean something. Beware jail if you already have one that wasn’t “earned”, they will burn/cut it off.

  11. This seems odd. I’d wager there is some sort of relationship between the invader and the home owner.

    • Hopefully investigators check text messages, ask around, generally look into this sort of thing.
      I sort of remember a case where they looked at a gps history and the “random intruder” had been visiting for a month.

    • there could be something like that…but its also not uncommon a criminal goes on a ‘spree’ and picks victims at random or those they have seen or have in some way ‘offended’ them but have no relationship with.

  12. What did the carjackee do to earn “Good Samaritan” status? That wasn’t in the FB post. Did he get carjacking while stopping to help someone who was pulled over?

  13. In a clear case of self-defense such as this, the responding Police Department should give the homeowner a spare pistol if they don’t already have one since they’re taking their pistol into evidence! And a medal!

    • Texican,

      While this article certainly reads like clear-cut self-defense, responding police really have no way of knowing for sure until the investigate.

      For example, the woman could be a psycho who invited the man in for an illicit romp in the sack and then murdered him–expecting that everyone would interpret her actions as self-defense.

      I personally prefer Gadsden Flag’s recommendation: have a second firearm available for immediately.

  14. Using a shovel or some other non-firearm weapon is actually not that unusual. Less than 12% of criminals use a firearm in their attacks and almost 80% of that 12% are shooting at other criminals (e.g. gang on gang).

    • “The Chalk Outline Club”

      That, along with “ambient temperature challenge”, have to be my two favorite labels.

  15. every time
    i see a story like this
    my hope
    for the future of humanity
    is restored just a little bit

  16. Well according to the paid “RESIDENT ANTI-GUN MARXIST’s” on this site, she was supposed to be a “GOOD VICTIM” and let the thug kill and or rape her and her children!!!

  17. “FREEHOLD – A Howell Township resident has been arrested and charged in connection with firing a handgun outside his girlfriend’s home early Sunday morning, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Monday.
    Pietro Ventricelli, 44, of Howell Township, was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree Attempted Murder, one count of second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Firearm) and one count of second-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.
    At approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning January 15, 2023, Howell Township Police responded to a call for shots fired from a home on Carrie Drive. The investigation revealed that three juvenile friends of the homeowner’s son were sitting in his vehicle in front of the house awaiting the arrival of a rideshare service. Upon arrival, the three juveniles got out of the vehicle, inadvertently setting off the vehicle’s alarm system. Ventricelli, the homeowner’s boyfriend, came outside and began firing at the rideshare vehicle, later identified as a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, striking it three times. The driver was able to leave without any injuries to anyone within the vehicle.
    For anyone who may have witnessed the incident, please contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Brian Migliorisi at 800-533-7443 or Howell Township Police Department Detective Ryan Jackson at 732-938-4575.“

    • That’s the police and supposed “victim’s” story, as this took place in now “urbanized” (read: ghettoized) Howell I suspect it was a home-invasion casing in preparation for a robbery. It reminds me of the incident in the Poconos where a retired NYPD officer awoke and opened his bedroom door only to find one of his son’s “friends”, a typical “Son of Obama” (whom he bought heroin from), had entered the home by climbing through a window who was holding a gun to his, the retired cop’s daughter’s head while demanding money and gold coins. Result the intruder and retired officer both shot, the retiree succumbing to his wounds, the daughter traumatized, the son let off scot-free and the graduate of the Sharton School of Reparations facing trial.

  18. Pictures would really help me grasp the entirety of the situation. Lacking a bullet riddled body with a big puddle of blood, it’s just another feel good story.

  19. pfft… I dunno about you guys but if I hit someone with a shovel, it’s fucken over. So he was either holding back or not aiming properly lmfao. Then again, clearly not the first time he’s done something stupid…

  20. I really don’t care if she shot the skell (hopefully a full mag full o holes) went out to her shed got her own shovel, hit herself a couple of times, THEN called the Po-po and reported the “Violent Home Invasion” ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST! End of story.

  21. Someone in that neck of the woods needs to buy that Mom a box of her favorite ammo and an adult beverage of her choice.

  22. Parish residents and taxpayers owe this mom debts of gratitude on numerous accounts. It’s not possible to have too few perps. Vaya con dios!

  23. Shamrock tattoo I thought meant “I drink” but nope;
    The shamrock tattoos that identify someone as part of the Aryan Brotherhood may appear in larger body art pieces that include other tattoos such as the letters “AB,” the number 12 (representing “A” and “B” as the first and second letters of the alphabet), the number 666, swastikas, or double lightning bolts (the last two symbols representing Hitler’s ideology).

    The shamrock tattoo may also appear by itself, but will be embellished with the letters, numbers, or symbols of the Aryan Brotherhood.

  24. The criminal element meets the lawful element one pew at a time! Buy a gun and learn how to use it period!

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