Welcome to Arrest Stories. A fifty-four-year-old man faces attempted second-degree murder charges after allegedly shooting a pregnant teenager in the head during a road rage incident that led to an emergency delivery of her baby. Here's what may have happened.
On a Sunday morning around nine o'clock, Barry West was driving his silver Dodge pickup truck on North Hoover Road near Ponchatoula when he encountered a Ford Expedition. According to police reports, both vehicles began an aggressive pattern of tailgating and brake-checking each other along the roadway.
The situation escalated dramatically when West allegedly fired a single gunshot into the SUV ahead of him. The bullet struck a seventeen-year-old pregnant passenger in the head while she sat in the front seat. The teenager was seven months pregnant at the time of the shooting.
Realizing what had happened, the driver of the Expedition immediately called nine-one-one and rushed the wounded girl to the hospital. Medical teams performed an emergency cesarean section to save her unborn child. The baby survived and remains stable in the neonatal intensive care unit.
West later told investigators he believed the occupants of the SUV had shot at him first, but evidence confirmed no other weapons were present in the vehicle and no additional shots were fired during the incident.
Authorities arrested West the following Monday, booking him into Tangipahoa Parish Jail on charges of attempted second-degree murder, obstruction of justice, and illegal use of a weapon.
Officials condemned the senseless violence, with one stating, "This is a senseless tragedy with no logical reason for this family to be experiencing this heartbreak right now." Authorities emphasized the importance of road safety, advising, "The public has to be patient and considerate when driving, at all times, and if there is a concern for your safety, call nine-one-one and report the concern."
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.