Mom shot during road rage incident dies
By Metia Carroll
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PONCHATOULA, Lousiana (WDSU) — A Tickfaw man is now being charged with murder after shooting at a car, hitting and killing a 17-year-old pregnant girl during a road rage incident on Sunday.
Katelynn Strate, 17, of Ponchatoula, died Tuesday evening.
According to deputies, on Sunday, around 9 a.m., Strate, who was a passenger in a Ford Expedition was traveling on North Hoover Road in the Ponchatoula area.
Barry West, 54, of Tickfaw, was driving a Dodge truck in the same direction.
According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, the two cars were tailgating and brake-checking each other before West fired his gun, hitting Strate in the passenger seat.
The driver of the car realized Strate was shot and called 911 before driving to a hospital.
Strate was pregnant, and the baby was delivered via C-section and is doing well in the NICU.
Deputies said West believed the occupants of the car in front of him shot at him first, but evidence confirmed no other shots were fired in the incident, and no weapon was found in the car the victim was traveling in.
West’s charges have been upgraded to include one count of 2nd degree murder. The remaining charges include three counts of attempted 2nd degree murder, one count each of illegal use of a weapon and obstruction of justice.
Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office also addressed questions regarding West being associated with the TPSO.
According to TPSO, their records date back as far as 2007 and does not show any employees with the last name West.
On the subject of the suspect, if anyone believes they have had a similar encounter with this suspect in the past, please contact our Criminal Investigations Division at 985-902-2088 to file an official report.
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