Tanganica Wallis, 27, was a mother of four who was described as very protective. During the holidays, countless numbers of families get together to celebrate each other. In Tanganica's home, there was strife.

The mother died during an argument on December 27, 2017 -- two days after Christmas in her mother's home. Wallis was shot dead after getting into a verbal confrontation with her mother's former boyfriend, according to the  New Orleans Times Picayune. 

"She (Tanganica) was very protective," Wallis' mother, Tanyaniquia Wallis, 42, said of her oldest child, the Times Picayune reported. "That's how she died, being protective."

The victim's mother and the ex-boyfriend would fight frequently, with it usually ending by him storming out to retreat to his mother's house. But this time, he got into it with the victim's 18-year-old sister.

Bothered by the incident, the girl went to Tanganica's apartment and told her what had happened. 

"Her and her sister got in the car and went to his mama's house," Tanyaniquia Wallis told the newspaper. "She wanted to know why he cussed her sister out, and it just escalated from there."  

When Tanganica encountered the ex-boyfriend, he had Raina Johnson, his sister with him. After arguing there, the Wallis sisters drove to their mother's home, where Johnson and the ex-boyfriend followed.

Once inside the mother's home, things turned physical. "I was trying to diffuse the situation, and his sister just pulled out a gun and shot my child," Tanyaniquia Wallis told the paper.

Johnson, 28, of nearby Harvey,, Louisiana, is accused of shooting the victim, according to Lt. Jason Rivarde, spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.

Now, the victim's 18-year-old sister blames herself for the slaying. "She's blaming herself. She feels like if she wouldn't have told her sister, her sister would still be alive," Tanyaniquia Wallis said.

The Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office said that she was shot in the head.