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The family of a teenage girl, who was tragically killed in a suspected road rage incident, has come together around her newborn baby, who was miraculously delivered just before her passing.
Katelynn Strate, 17, was shot in the head last Sunday as she, her boyfriend and his sister were driving to his mother’s house in Louisiana.
Medical professionals managed to keep her on life support long enough to deliver a baby girl, who was born at seven months, weighing a mere three pounds, 11 ounces.
Strate’s life support was later switched off and her organs donated. Her devastated family have been left to raise her beloved daughter.
“Her generosity will save lives, and we are incredibly proud of her for that final act of kindness,” her family expressed in a statement through close friend Katie Cancienne Liebert.
The baby girl is reportedly doing well and in good health, according to CNN, and more than $50,000 has been raised on GoFundMe to take care of her.
The family have chosen not to share the baby’s name for her own privacy, but want to honor Strate’s memory and legacy in how she is raised.
‘We know that without a doubt she loved this baby,’ Liebert said. ‘She chose to give this baby life, and she was looking forward to being a mother.’
Katelynn Strate, 17, was shot in the head last Sunday as she, her boyfriend and his sister were driving to his mother’s house in Louisiana
The bullet was found in her skull, and she was swiftly taken to the hospital, where she was placed on life support as doctors worked to save her baby.
Strate had not chosen a name for her baby before her untimely death and had not yet held her baby shower. However, she and her boyfriend had celebrated at a gender reveal party.
A video capturing the joyful moment shows Strate radiating happiness as cannons burst with pink powder into the air, announcing she was expecting a daughter.
The man accused of murdering Strate, 54-year-old Barry West (pictured), was not known to the family or the victim
‘They just had a dynamic where you could tell there was genuine love there,’ Liebert previously said.
‘The world’s not going to be the same kind of place without her.’
The man accused of murdering Strate, 54-year-old Barry West, was not known to the family or the victim.
He was driving erratically in the same direction Strate and her boyfriend were traveling, repeatedly brake-checking the couple and tailgating them.
Strate’s boyfriend passed West’s car in an effort to get away from the erratic behavior.
Despite initial reports from the sheriff that the two cars were brake checking one another, Strate’s boyfriend has not been charged with any driving offense and her family maintains this never happened.
Instead, they claim that was a lie fabricated by West after his arrest, and maintain that Strate’s boyfriend was driving responsibly.
West allegedly fired his gun through the back of the car Strate was traveling in as a passenger, and it lodged in her skull.
Strate’s family are demanding he receive no plea deal as they seek justice for the teenager’s senseless death
Strate and her partner had recently celebrated the impending birth of their daughter with a gender reveal party
She was rushed to hospital and placed on life support as medical teams began immediate efforts to save her baby.
It is understood West told police he thought the other car had fired at him first, but police have found no evidence to support that. No gun was found in Strate’s car.
West has been charged with one count of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted second-degree murder, along with other lesser charges.
Strate’s family are demanding he receive no plea deal as they seek justice for the teenager’s senseless death.
After sharing West’s mugshot, The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office was inundated with Facebook messages from concerned citizens who claimed they, too, had run ins on the roads with him.
Police have said they are still investigating the unverified claims.
