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9:35 UPDATE: FSU LB Ethan Pritchard in 'critical but stable' condition after shooting

On3 imageby: Ira Schoffel09/01/25iraschoffel
On3 image
Florida State LB Ethan Pritchard speaks to the media during the spring. (Matt LaSerre/Warchant)

9:35 a.m. Update: Florida State officials have released the following statement about the condition of freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard:

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 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.

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9:15 a.m. Update: Florida State officials are expected to release information this morning about the condition of linebacker Ethan Pritchard, who was seriously wounded in a shooting late Sunday night in nearby Havana, Fla.

Pritchard was transported to a Tallahassee hospital, where he is being treated and monitored following a surgical procedure, according to multiple sources.

According to Tallahassee television station WCTV, the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Pritchard was in his vehicle when he was shot. They said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will be handling the investigation, which they described as “ongoing.”

The sheriff’s department is asking anyone who has any information related to the shooting investigation to call FDLE or Investigator DeLeon at 850-627-9233.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell was already scheduled to meet with the media today at 11:30 a.m. for his weekly press conference. There has been no change to that schedule as of yet.

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FIRST REPORT

Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard has been taken to the hospital after a shooting in nearby Havana, Fla., two sources told Warchant late Sunday night.

Pritchard is a freshman who signed with FSU out of Sanford Seminole High. His condition has not yet been confirmed, but one source told Warchant that he was still breathing when taken from the scene by ambulance.

A report late Sunday from Tallahassee television station WCTV quoted Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young as saying that an unidentified man was shot near the Havana Heights Apartments at the corner of 16th Street and South Main Street.

Warchant has confirmed from sources the man was Pritchard.

While details have not yet been made available by authorities, one source close to the Florida State football program said they were told Pritchard was a victim of a random act of violence. But that has not been confirmed.

Pritchard was singled out for his impressive play this preseason by first-year Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White.

“He’s showing out and doing some nice stuff,” White said after the Seminoles’ second preseason scrimmage. “It’s up and down, but he’s showing his athletic ability and that he’s going to be a really good linebacker here in the future.”

Pritchard did not play in Florida State’s season-opening, 31-17 victory against No. 8 Alabama.

Coming out of Sanford Seminole High, Pritchard was rated the No. 23 linebacker in the country and a four-star prospect, according to Rivals. Other recruiting networks had him ranked slightly lower than that, although all listed him among the top 100 players in Florida.

Pritchard committed to Florida State during his junior year in high school in October 2023, and he stayed with the Seminoles despite their struggles in 2024. He officially signed in December and enrolled in January.

“I would say I was locked in because, mainly, [Mike] Norvell,” Pritchard told Warchant earlier this year. “That’s a bond like, I don’t think nobody can teach. There was no other school that could flip me. I had my mind set right here.”

Stay connected with Warchant.com for more on this developing story.

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.

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