A mum-of-two who shot dead a home invader to protect her children will not face charges, police have said.
Robert Rheams, 51, broke into the house in Hammond, Louisiana, US, armed with a shovel and wrench in the early hours of January 8.
He was confronted by the homeowner and the pair got into a physical fight which ended when the unnamed woman shot him.
Police scrambled to the scene responding to reports of shots fired and arrived shortly after 5am.
Rheams was pronounced dead at the scene by the parish coroner.
At the time, the man, who was from Hammond too, was out on parole after serving approximately 20 years in prison for armed robbery.
The woman was not arrested, nor other arrests have been made so far, and the investigation is ongoing.
Chief police officer Jimmy Travis of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said in a statement that "this case appears to be a homeowner exercising second amendment rights to protect herself and her children from a violent home invasion".
The police added that once the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the district attorney's office for further review.
Detectives have also been able to tie Rheams to a carjacking which occurred hours prior to the home invasion.
Chief Travis said that the car owner was an out-of-state worker staying in a local motel when he was asked by the suspect to give him a ride.
He told Fox 8 : "During the drive, he started striking the driver with his fist and the driver ran into a ditch causing the car to become stuck. The driver was able to exit the car and flee to safety."
Travis also said that the driver was battered and bruised from the attack and his stuck car was abandoned by the suspect.
