Ethan Pritchard experienced the highest of highs over the weekend after his Florida State team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide to start out the season.
The good times would end hours later, after the Florida State football freshman was shot and hospitalized late Sunday night while visiting family in Havana, Florida. Havana is a small town about 16 miles northeast of Tallahassee.
The Florida State University football player and Seminole High School graduate was shot near a Gadsden County apartment complex on Sunday, authorities said, per Fox News.
This is just a horrific situation for the player and the school after they experienced an active shooter situation earlier this year.
Ethan Pritchard was reportedly taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and underwent surgery last night.
FSU football Director of Recruiting Devin Rispress shared a post Monday morning asking for prayers for Pritchard.
Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office PIO, Captain Anglie Holmes, said the sheriff’s office had been canvassing the area for a suspect, leads, and witnesses after Pritchard was shot inside a vehicle.
A suspect has reportedly been identified.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has taken the lead on the case.
Florida State Releases Statement On The Shooting of Ethan Pritchard
He was injured in a shooting on Sunday night, roughly 24 hours after his team’s big victory against Alabama. He is currently in the ICU at a local Florida hospital.
FSU released a statement on his shooting on Monday morning:
“Ethan Pritchard, a freshman linebacker on Florida State’s football team, is in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit at a local hospital after suffering a gunshot wound last night while visiting family in Havana, Florida,” the Seminoles announced.
“The Pritchard family is thankful for the support from so many people, as well as the care from first responders and medical professionals, and asks that their privacy be respected at this time. Further updates will be provided as they are available.”
Pritchard just enrolled with the Seminoles over the summer. He played at Seminole High in Sanford before coming to Tallahassee and was a 3-star recruit. In 2024, he tallied 39 tackles with 7.0 tackles for loss in nine games played. He finished his junior year with 75 tackles, 11.0 TFL, and one fumble recovery as Seminole went 10-3 and made the regional final round of the 4M state playoffs.
Pritchard’s mother, who passed away about two months after Ethan was born, attended FSU.
He did not play in the season-opening win over Alabama on Saturday.
