FSU Linebacker in Critical Condition After Shooting

A Florida State linebacker is in critical but stable condition after being shot while visiting family, the Seminoles said Monday. Ethan Pritchard, a 6-foot-2, 224-pound freshman from Sanford, is in intensive care at a Tallahassee-area hospital, the AP reports. He was shot Sunday evening while inside a vehicle outside apartments in Havana, a Tallahassee suburb, according to the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office. Asked whether the shooting was targeted or a random act of violence, sheriff's office spokesperson Anglie Holmes said the case is "active and ongoing" and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is "working to diligently piece together the details," the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

"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," FSU said in a statement. "Further updates will be provided as they are available." Pritchard did not play in Florida State's season opener, a 31-17 victory Saturday over No. 8 Alabama in Tallahassee, but defensive coordinator Tony White praised him in the preseason. "He's showing his athletic ability and that he's going to be a really good linebacker here in the future," White said, per the Democrat.