Pregnant Teen Killed in Louisiana Road Rage Shooting

Baton Rouge, Aug 27 (AP) Louisiana authorities are outraged over a road rage incident resulting in the fatal shooting of a pregnant teenager and the premature birth of her baby.

Katelynn Strate, 17, was a passenger and seven months pregnant when she was fatally shot in the head during a road encounter. The incident occurred on Sunday, according to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office.

She was taken to a hospital, where she was placed on life support. Her baby was delivered via emergency cesarean section and is reportedly stable in the neonatal intensive care unit, as stated in an official release.

Attorney General Liz Murrill expressed her anguish on the social platform X, stating, “This is terrible. This poor infant is fighting for their life in the NICU while his or her mother is on life support. All because of road rage? There is no excuse.”

In a Facebook post, the sheriff's office described Strate as having “officially become a donor hero.”

The encounter involved Barry West, 54, who was driving a silver truck, and the driver of the SUV in which Strate was riding. They reportedly engaged in aggressive driving around 9 am Sunday in Ponchatoula, approximately 80 kilometres north of New Orleans.

Authorities claim West fired one round into the SUV, believing mistakenly that its occupants had shot at him. Evidence suggested no shots were fired from the SUV, and no weapon was found inside, the sheriff's office disclosed.

West faces several charges, including second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon, and obstruction of justice.

The Associated Press has not yet identified any legal representation for West for comment.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker lamented, “This is a senseless tragedy on Sunday morning with no logical reason for this family to be experiencing this heartbreak right now.”

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