Inset: Barry West (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff”s Office). Background: Katelynn Strate (GoFundMe).Â
A Louisiana teenager who was 27 weeks pregnant when she was shot during a road rage incident has died, resulting in a murder charge for the alleged shooter.
The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that 17-year-old Katelynn Strate, who was shot during an altercation with 54-year-old Barry West, succumbed to her injuries on Aug. 26.
Strate was 27 weeks pregnant when she was allegedly shot by West while sitting in the front passenger seat of a Ford Expedition carrying two other people on Aug. 24.
Police said West fired at the Ford from his Dodge truck after the two vehicles “were tailgating and brake-checking each other.”
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Once the driver of the Ford realized Strate had been shot, they drove her to the hospital and called 911, according to police.
After Strate arrived, medical staff were able to deliver her baby via C-section. In their most recent update, the sheriff’s office said that the baby “continues to do well” and is being treated in the NICU.
Police said West claimed he was acting in self-defense. The defendant allegedly said he believed he had been fired on by someone in the Ford Expedition. There was no evidence of any other shots being fired, police said. There was no weapon found in the Ford Expedition.
West, who also claimed to have been employed with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, was arrested and charged with four counts of attempted second-degree murder, one count of illegal use of a weapon, and one count of obstruction of justice.
The sheriff’s office stated that they could not confirm West was associated with them after checking records dating back to 2007.
Following Strate’s death on Aug. 26, one of West’s attempted second-degree murder charges was upgraded to second-degree murder.
The sheriff’s office said that when it became clear to Strate’s family she would not survive, she became an organ donor.
A GoFundMe page was started to raise money for the baby’s medical care and Strate’s funeral expenses.
