A Lyft driver in Mississippi is fortunate to be alive and recovering after being shot seven times and left for dead this week.
Brandy Littrell responded to a seemingly-normal Lyft ride request on Tuesday night in Jackson, Mississippi, picking up 17-year-old Dontarious Magee from one apartment complex and driving him to another one. When they got to Magee’s destination, though, the young man allegedly pulled out a gun and ordered Littrell to get in the back seat of her car.
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Horrified for her life, the 36-year-old did as she was told.
Littrell (pictured above, top left, shown in a virtual interview from her hospital room) recounted the incident to local news affiliate WAPT, describing what happened in an interview on Wednesday night:
“He wanted my PIN number to my phone, my debit cards, and wanted to know how much money I had in the bank, and wanted to know what was in my house. I gave him whatever he wanted because I was just trying to stay alive.”
At that point, Magee (pictured above, top right, mugshot) allegedly drove Littrell to a wooded area and told her to crawl into the woods.
Terrified for her life, she did as asked, recalling:
“He said, ‘Get on your knees.’ So, I got on my knees, and then I heard the first shot … I was trying to cover my face in case he kept shooting, which of course, he did.”
OMG…
In total, according to Jackson Deputy Police Chief Deric Hearn, Magee shot Littrell SEVEN times.
After he fled, the driver was left alone in the woods, where she ultimately gathered up the strength to run to a nearby apartment complex for help. After being shot. Wow.
Littrell explained she was driven to survive by fear for her family — as she was terrified that Magee would go after them, too. After all, he had her address, asked about her house. That thought made her press on:
“It took every strength in me because, at this point, I am concerned [because] my grandmother is at my house, and I was worried he was going to go after her. I’m just grateful my family is OK, that they were not harmed.”
Littrell was eventually taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she remains as of Friday for treatment and recovery.
Police tracked down Magee and arrested him late on Tuesday night, according to WJTV. He confessed to the shooting once in police custody, and was officially charged (as an adult despite being just 17) with kidnapping, carjacking, and aggravated assault.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Hearn added that he believes Magee had robbed other ride-share drivers before, too:
“He did confess to the crime. He did confess to calling the female up for the Lyft driver. It is my understanding through our interview with this individual, this is not the first time this has occurred.”
Lyft released a statement confirming Magee has been banned from using the app (yeah… we would hope…) and they are working on adding new safety features, as well.
The ride-share company added:
“The incident described is horrific and our hearts go out to Ms. Littrell and her loved ones. We’ve reached out to offer our support, have permanently removed the rider from the Lyft community, and stand ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation. We’re also exploring ways to expand the use of certain safety features and alerts to help prevent these kinds of incidents moving forward.”
Here’s more on the terrifying incident from WAPT in Jackson:
So scary… but very thankful that Littrell is still alive.
Her sister has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help the injured survivor financially as she continues to recover from her wounds in the hospital. If YOU want to help out, you can view that page HERE.
[Image via WAPT/YouTube/WJTV/YouTube/Jackson Police Department]
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