PONCHATOULA, La. (WVUE) - The man accused of a weekend road-rage shooting on the north shore will be booked with second-degree murder, after the 17-year-old girl shot in the head was removed from life support and died, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday (Aug. 26).

“The charges against the suspect in this case, 54-year-old Barry West, have been upgraded to include one count of second-degree murder,” the TPSO said in a statement.

The agency and family members confirmed the death of 17-year-old Katelynn Strate of Ponchatoula. Authorities said Strate was seven months’ pregnant when shot Sunday morning near Ponchatoula. Her unborn baby, at 28 weeks, was saved by C-section and “continues to do well under medical care,” the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities and family confirm

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