Triton Alumnus Ashleigh Litcofsky of Salisbury found herself caught in the crossfire of a drive by shooting between rival gangs this past Halloween weekend (or Halloweekend, as it is called on the college party scene).
“A bullet actually went through the windshield, and it all happened so quickly,” said Litcofsky.
Litcofsky and her friends, who are all freshmen at Emmanuel College in Boston, decided to take a Lyft from a party back to their dorm rather than walking through the dangerous Boston streets on one of the busiest weekends of the year. In this short ride the college students found themselves in the middle of a gang shootout that ended with bullets flying through the windshield of their car.

Litcofsky and her friends knew that they were in a rough area at the time of the attack. “We thought we were doing the right thing by taking a car instead of walking,” said Litcofsky. Despite taking precautions Litcofsky and her friends found themselves in terrifying situation. As they were driving through the rough area, gunshots began to ring out from either side of the road. Inevitably, the group was caught in the crossfire and a stray bullet went through the windshield of the car, narrowly missing the college freshmen.

The quick thinking Lyft driver then instructed Litcofsky and her friends to duck down as he drove through a park to the nearby police station. He then told the group to run inside and get help.

“It’s truly terrifying to even think about. I can’t imagine how scared they must’ve been.” said Johnna Difronzo, a mother of two college freshmen.

Litcofsky says she has learned her lesson and will not be taking any more chances. She said nothing is worth putting yourself in a situation like that and she very seriously warns others to be extra careful when in unfamiliar and potentially dangerous places.

“After hearing about this, I’ll make sure I’m more aware of my surroundings, especially when I’m in college next year,” said senior Amanda Manganello.