A 17-year-old girl was left brain dead after a road rage shooting in Louisiana but remained on life support long enough for doctors to deliver her baby.
Katelynn Strate was riding with her boyfriend when another driver opened fire, striking her in the head. The bullet lodged in her skull, leaving her critically injured. Doctors performed an emergency C-section, delivering her baby girl at seven months. The infant weighed just over three pounds but is otherwise healthy.
Family friend Katie Cancienne shared the heartbreak: “Her mother just lost her baby, and now she’s a grandmother.” Strate’s loved ones confirmed she would not recover, and her organs will be donated.
Police charged 54-year-old Barry West with attempted second-degree murder. He claimed he thought the other car had fired first, but officers found no gun.
Katelynn’s family had recently celebrated a gender reveal party for her daughter. As Cancienne said, “The world’s not going to be the same kind of place without her.” This tragedy leaves one haunting question: how many more lives will senseless violence destroy?