12-Year-Old Shoots Armed Home Invader Dead With Hunting Rifle After Fearing For Mom's Safety

A 12-year-old boy who opened fire at an armed intruder and killed him after he attacked their Louisiana home and threatened his mother on June 30 will most likely not be implicated in the incident, authorities say.

According to police, Brad LeBlanc, 32, of Vidalia, brandished his pistol against the Louisiana mother outside her home at 7:21 a.m. Wednesday in the 5800 block of Winchester Lane, east of Clinton, before forcing her inside the residence, according to East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeffery Travis, The Advocate reported.

A struggle between the two later ensued as the woman's son watched the situation unfold. Fearing for their safety, the 12-year-old, whose identity has been withheld, grabbed a hunting rifle sitting in their home and fatally shot LeBlanc.

Responding officers from the East Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office and emergency services arrived at the Winchester Lane home and administered life-saving measures to Leblanc. He was later rushed to Lane Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

The local District Attorney's office will decide whether the shooting was justified once the sheriff’s office caps off their investigation. At this point, no evidence is available to incriminate the 12-year-old just yet, KATC News noted.

According to East Feliciana Parish Sheriff Jeffrey Travis, police are yet to secure physical evidence from the scene or witness testimony, noting they don't intend to slap him with any charges. The sheriff then confirmed that the mother is taking steps to get her son the support he needs following the fatal shooting incident.

“The mother is understanding that he’s going to need some treatment and needs to talk to people and help him understand that he’s a very normal person that was put in an abnormal situation,” Travis said.

Meanwhile, two other people who allegedly took part in the invasion were nabbed by law enforcement earlier this week, according to the Associated Press.

Johnathon Barker of Clinton faces second-degree murder, principal to aggravated burglary, and principal to aggravated kidnapping charges. While he is not directly involved in killing any civilians, his participation in the intrusion led to LeBlanc’s death.

Authorities also slapped Jennifer Bond of Ethel with one count of accessory to the crime.

Both Bond and Barker were booked into the parish prison with no immediate information available to confirm if they had legal representatives who could speak on their behalf.