Kit Roberts
A pregnant 17-year-old girl stared at her 'hero' boyfriend 'the whole way to the hospital' after being fatally shot in the head during a suspected 'road rage' incident.
Katelynn Strate, who was 28 weeks pregnant, had been travelling in a car with her 19-year-old boyfriend at around 9am on August 24 when she was shot, later dying of her injuries.
The car had been carrying Katelynn, her boyfriend, and two others in the Ponchatoula area north of New Orleans when they encountered Barry West, 54, who was driving in the same direction.
Friend of the family Katie Cancienne Liebert denied an initial report that the two vehicles had been tailgating and brake-checking each other.
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A single shot was fired into the car where Katelynn was riding in the front passenger seat, leaving her fatally injured and her 19-year-old boyfriend Alain Cruz in a heart-breaking situation.
Liebert said: "He's a 19-year-old kid, and he watched his 17-year-old girlfriend, who he's in love with, get shot in the head.
"He's the last thing she saw before she died. She was staring at him the whole way to the hospital, struggling to breathe, holding his hand."
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As if losing his girlfriend and the mother of his child in such tragic circumstances wasn't enough, Liebert said he had received death threats after the tragedy.
"The baby's father is getting death threats and being told that he deserves to die because he put his pregnant girlfriend in danger, when in reality, that day, he was a hero," she told PEOPLE.
After seeing Katelynn was injured, Cruz dialled 911 and drove to the hospital.
When they arrived at the hospital an emergency C-section managed to save Katelynn's baby, who miraculously survived and is reportedly 'extremely strong and kicking', according to KHOU 11.
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The family are currently keeping the child's name private.
In an updated statement on August 26, police confirmed that Katelynn had passed away, adding that her family would 'give the Gift of Life' by opting to donate her organs.
A police investigation found that no other shots were fired during the tragic incident.
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The sheriff's office said in a statement: "As a result of the investigation, it was determined while West believed the occupants of the vehicle in front of him had shot at him first, evidence has confirmed there were no other shots fired in the incident and there was no weapon in the vehicle the victim was traveling in."
West was booked at the Tangipahoa Parish Jail with multiple counts of attempted second-degree murder, one count of illegal use of a weapon and obstruction of justice.
After it was confirmed that Katelynn had died of her injuries, the charges were changed to include one count of second-degree murder.
Katelynn's family has set up a Gofundme to cover 'funeral and baby needs', which you can find here.