Man tinkering with gun fatally shoots pregnant 17-year-old in Louisiana, sheriff says
A 23-year-old man was tinkering with a gun when it fired and fatally struck a pregnant teen in Louisiana, authorities said.
Chad Blackard told investigators he had the handgun in the backseat of a moving car when it fired and hit the 17-year-old in the back, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said in a probable cause statement.
The shooting happened about 6 p.m. on March 12 as the people inside the car were traveling from Pine Grove to Baton Rouge.
The teen, who was 25 weeks pregnant, was sitting in the passenger seat and Blackard was sitting behind her, deputies said.
He removed the gun and holster from his side and hung the holster on the teen’s seat, deputies said.
He told investigators the gun may have been partially out of the holster as he readjusted it, and that’s when he accidentally squeezed the trigger and fired a round into the back of the teen’s seat, deputies said
Medical responders transported the teen to the hospital where she and her unborn child died, deputies said.
Blackard was arrested on charges of negligent homicide, third-degree feticide and illegal use of weapons.
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Man tinkering with gun fatally shoots pregnant 17-year-old in Louisiana, sheriff says."
