By Kevin Jefferies
Lamar County – A Lamar County man ended a five-hour manhunt Thursday when he shot a suspected bank robber crossing his property. 34-year-old Johnny Piper shot 32-year-old Michael Paul Hammonds in both legs with a 20 gauge shotgun after warning the man to stop.
At first, Piper thought Hammonds was part of the manhunt taking place in the nearby Sulphur River bottom when the man first approached Piper's property near Slabtown. But the man, who had several dogs with him, had no shirt on and numerous tattoos and the man appeared to have been crawling around on the ground. Piper confronted the man, and eventually shot the man after a short chase when Hammonds turned on Piper.
Hammonds is suspected of robbing the People's National Bank in Paris Thursday. The robbery sparked a manhunt involving several law enforcement agencies, a DPS search helicopter, and search dogs. The suspect also led police on a high-speed chase after the robbery, eventually abandoning his vehicle, and accomplice 26-year-old Robyn Ann Bradford, after leaving the highway and crossing a hay field.