A 17-year-old pregnant girl from Louisiana was shot in a road rage incident, but her baby was safely delivered via an emergency C-section.
The victim was in her third trimester of pregnancy when she got into a fatal incident over the weekend in Tangipahoa Parish. The teenage girl's family identified her as Katelynn Strate, who is expected to be taken off life support on Monday.
Pregnant Teen Shot in the Head
In a statement, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said that the victim was a passenger in a car carrying two other people at around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday when they encountered the suspect, identified as Barry West.
Deputies said that the 54-year-old suspect and the driver of the other vehicle were brake-checking and tail-gating each other before West fired a shot, hitting Strate in the head. When the driver of the other car realized what had happened, he quickly drove to a hospital, according to WBRZ.
After doctors safely delivered Strate's baby at 27 weeks, the child was quickly transferred to the NICU. The victim's family is now asking the public for assistance in covering funeral costs for the teenager's death.
Read more: Irish Team Begins Search for Hundreds of Children's Remains at Church-Run Home for Unwed Mothers
Authorities put West in jail on four counts of attempted second-degree murder, one count of illegal use of a weapon, and obstruction of justice. The sheriff's office also said that the charges against the suspect will be upgraded when the victim is taken off life support.
When questioned, the suspect told deputies that the people in the other vehicle fired at him first. However, investigators later found that evidence showed there were no other shots that were fired aside from the one that West himself fired, Fox8 Live reported.
Baby Delivered Safely
Sheriff Gerald Sticker said that the shooting of the 17-year-old girl is a "senseless tragedy," noting that there was no logical reason for her family to experience this kind of heartbreak. He added that everyone needs to be patient and considerate when driving because it concerns their, and others' safety.
Strate's friend, Katie Liebert, said that the victim's baby, a girl, was three pounds and 11 ounces when she was delivered. She added that the child's mother will be an organ donor after she is taken off life support.
Liebert said Strate was planning to live with her boyfriend and raise her baby together. But now, unexpectedly, the child's grandmother and great-grandmother will have to take her in to take care of her, as per Unfiltered With Kiran.
