Being betrayed by a friend can be a sad, hurtful experience. But, in the case of Ross Capicchioni, it was almost deadly.
At 17-years-old, Ross was helping out a friend and giving him a ride. What Ross didn’t know was that this “favor” was actually a plan that was meant to end in Ross’s death.
But, Ross is a fighter and against all odds, he managed to escape with his life.
Ross Capicchioni admits that as a teenager, he hung out with “the wrong crowd” — and it almost cost him his life. Whether or not the people he hung out with could be considered the wrong kind of people, he still thought that they were his friends. He never imagined that one of these so-called “friends” would shoot him and leave him for dead.
Ross had known his shooter for ten years. The guy asked him to go with him to his cousin’s house located on the east side of Detroit. Ross knew it was a bad idea.
“The east side, that’s like seven mile,” Ross said, “it’s like a third world country. The police, they won’t stop and get out of the car, they won’t pull you over.”
While he was concerned about where they were going, Ross had no idea that it was all part of a gang initiation. When they arrived in a secluded spot and Ross got out of the car, he was attacked.
This man shot him in the arm, chest, and head. Ross tried to fight him off but his attacker used a shotgun and the bullets sprayed. His assailant also hit him in the head with the butt of the gun. The man then stole Ross’s car.
After this unimaginably brutal attack, Ross somehow got to his feet. As he attempted to walk to safety, he came across a probation officer who was able to help. The man called an ambulance.
“I felt his hand on my back like ‘hey man, you’re fine. Don’t, don’t don’t close your eyes. The ambulance is coming, they’re coming,’” Ross described the events.
Ross’s wounds required surgery, but miraculously, he survived. When he finally woke up, after having been missing for three days, the only thing he could remember was his father’s phone number. His parents were overjoyed to find out that he was alive.
After arriving home from the hospital, Ross was interviewed by FBI agents who believed that they already had the shooter. His shooter was in custody because someone he’d bragged to about the shooting contacted authorities. The man was arrested immediately afterward.
Ross later testified against his former “friend” in court. He had to testify twice, and the assailant was eventually convicted and is serving 35 years in prison.
The judge told the young man he owed Ross his thanks. “If you would have killed Ross that day, you would have got life in prison, but since Ross is a warrior and survived, you get a second chance.”
Ross is lucky to be alive. His fighting spirit saved his life. Watch him recount his story and please share his brave tale!
