A man is now charged with murder after the woman he allegedly shot in Tangipahoa Parish was removed from life support.
"Following her family's decision to give the Gift of Life, the victim in this case has officially become a donor hero," the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office posted.
With the death 17-year-old Katelynn Strate of Ponchatoula, the case is now a homicide.
"The charges against the suspect in this case, 54-year-old Barry West, have been upgraded to include one count of 2nd Degree Murder."
Strate was 28 weeks pregnant when West allegedly shot her during a road rage incident.
TPSO says the new born "continues to do well under medical care."
Doctors delivered the baby in an emergency C-section after the shooting.
West and the driver of the car Strate was riding in allegedly got into a road rage confrontation Sunday. Deputies say they were tailgating and brake checking each other before West fired a bullet into the other vehicle. West told police he thought someone in the other car shot at him first. TPSO says they could not find any evidence to support that.
