Authorities have taken four people into custody in relation to the shooting of Florida State freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard, which occurred late last month (per The Associated Press.).
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced Wednesday that Jayden Bodison, Caron Miller, Germany Atkins, and an unidentified juvenile were arrested in the case. Bodison, Miller, and the minor are facing three counts of attempted murder along with a charge of firing into an occupied vehicle; while Atkins was booked for violating probation.
The shooting occurred on August 31st in Havana, Florida, where Pritchard was visiting relatives. Investigators say he was struck in the back of the head by a bullet while sitting inside a car shortly before 10 p.m. The 6-foot-2, 224-pound Pritchard is from Sanford, Florida, and remains in critical but stable condition at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said that Pritchard was “not doing anything wrong” when he was ambushed outside an apartment last month. He added that Pritchard was dropping off family members, an aunt and a child, when he was shot. Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said investigators believe Pritchard was not the intended target and that the incident was likely a case of mistaken identity.
Pritchard had not yet taken the field this season for the Seminoles. However, during Florida State’s victory over Texas A&M-Commerce last weekend his teammates wore wristbands with his No. 35 to show their support. In addition, head coach Mike Norvell presented the game ball to Pritchard’s father after the win.
Novell said over the weekend of Pritchard: “The way that he plays the game … he loves it, he absolutely loves it. To know that right now that’s taken away from him in a senseless act, you don’t always know why you have to go through things in life, but I do believe God has his hand over Ethan and this football team. To have Earl here today — he’s a wonderful man, and being with him I know it’s so very hard. I know it’s hard for anybody to have to go through, but he told me early in this week, ‘I know where my boy wants to be so I’m going to go stand in his place for him.’”
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