Road rage shooting of teen sets off rush to save unborn baby, Louisiana cops say

An unborn child was delivered via emergency C-section after the mother-to-be was fatally shot in the head during a “road rage incident,” according to investigators in southeast Louisiana.

The shooting happened around 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, near Ponchatoula, and 17-year-old Katelynn Strate of Ponchatoula was a passenger in one of the vehicles, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said in an Aug. 25 news release.

Strate was taken to a hospital in critical condition and news of her death was released Aug. 26.

The suspected shooter has been identified as 54-year-old Barry West, and he now faces one count of second-degree murder. Three counts of attempted second-2nd degree murder remain, along with one count each of illegal use of a weapon and obstruction of justice, the sheriff’s office said.

“The 17-year-old victim was in a Ford Expedition with two other people ... (when)... they encountered West, who was driving a silver Dodge truck in the same direction,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The investigation has determined after the two vehicles were tailgating and brake-checking each other, West shot one round into the Expedition traveling in front of him where the victim was seated in the front passenger seat. When the driver realized the victim was shot in the head, they called 911 and drove the victim directly to the hospital.”

Strate became an organ “donor hero” at her family’s consent, the sheriff’s office said.

Details of how West was linked to the shooting were not released. He was booked into Tangipahoa Parish Jail at 10 p.m. on Sunday, jail records show.

When questioned, he told detectives he “believed the occupants of the vehicle in front of him had shot at him first,” officials said.

However, no evidence has been found to support that assertion, and no weapon was in the Ford Expedition, the sheriff’s office said.

“At this time, the victim remains hospitalized in critical condition. The baby was delivered via emergency C-section and is doing well in an area NICU,” the sheriff’s office said. “Charges will be upgraded if ... the victim’s condition worsens.”

Ponchatoula is about a 50-mile drive northwest of New Orleans.

This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Road rage shooting of teen sets off rush to save unborn baby, Louisiana cops say."