Road rage shooting of pregnant 17-year-old in Louisiana sparks outrage from officials

“This is a senseless tragedy on Sunday morning with no logical reason for this family to be experiencing this heartbreak right now,” said Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana officials expressed indignation over a road rage shooting that left a pregnant teenager in critical condition and caused her baby to be delivered early.

The 17-year-old girl was a passenger in the car and seven months pregnant Sunday when she was struck in the head by a bullet fired by a driver in another vehicle, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

The teen, who was not immediately identified, was taken to a hospital and placed on life support, the sheriff’s office said in a press release on Monday. Her baby was delivered by emergency C-section and is “doing well” in a neonatal intensive care unit, the statement said.

“This is terrible. This poor infant is fighting for their life in the NICU while his or her mother is on life support. All because of road rage? There is no excuse,” Attorney General Liz Murrill posted on X Tuesday.

Law enforcement said the confrontation — which happened around 9 a.m. Sunday in Ponchatoula, about 50 miles (80 kilometres) north of New Orleans — involved an SUV the teen was riding in and a silver truck driven by Barry West, 54. Police said the drivers of both vehicles were tailgating and “brake-checking” each other.

Authorities said West shot one round into the SUV when it was in front of his vehicle. Police said he believed the occupants of the SUV had shot at him first, but evidence showed no shots were fired from the SUV and no weapon was found inside, the sheriff’s office said.

West was charged with four counts of attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of a weapon and obstruction of justice.

The Associated Press could not immediately identify an attorney who could comment on West’s behalf.

“This is a senseless tragedy on Sunday morning with no logical reason for this family to be experiencing this heartbreak right now,” said Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker.

Sara Cline, The Associated Press