Armed elderly man steps in when neighbor's delusional son attacks her with shovel

Elderly California woman says her son was high on drugs when he allegedly attempted to assault her with a shovel

An armed 86-year-old man in California is being hailed as a hero by his neighbor after he fatally shot her schizophrenic son who allegedly tried to attack her with a large shovel, according to a local news outlet. 

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office was called to a home in Oildale regarding a report of vandalism on April 14, 17 News reported. Upon arrival, authorities found a man deceased on the scene with a gunshot wound.

The resident of the home, Eva Strickland, told the news outlet that the deceased man was her son, James Strickland, who suffered from schizophrenia and who she says was high on illegal drugs at the time of his death. 

Strickland said that her son came to her home with a large shovel and demanded lottery money he said he won. She said her son had no such lottery winnings.

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The man allegedly used the shovel to pry open a metal door on the home, and then pushed the woman, who was described as elderly, to the floor. He allegedly attempted to attack her, but an unidentified armed 86-year-old neighbor intervened. 

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The Kern County Sheriff's Office in California. (Google Earth )

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The neighbor shot and killed the man, according to 17 News. 

Strickland is heralding her neighbor as a hero, saying she would not still be alive if not for him. She added that her son was acting delusional and committed a form of suicide that day, arguing that police would have killed him if not for the neighbor. 

No criminal charges or arrests have been made in the case, as of last week. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's inquiry on Tuesday regarding potential updates to the case.