4 Suspects Arrested in Shooting of FSU Football Player in Case of Mistaken Identity By Nicole Acosta

Police have arrested four suspects in connection with the shooting of a Florida State University football player.

According to a statement from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Germany Atkins, 23, Jayden Bodison, 22, and Caron Miller, 18, were arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 10, after local agencies executed multiple search warrants in Havana and Woodville.

Hours later, a 16-year-old suspect, whose identity is being withheld, surrendered to the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, per the statement.

The FDLE said Ethan Pritchard was driving in a neighborhood with two family members, one of whom was a child, when the car was shot multiple times on Aug. 31 in Havana. Pritchard, a freshman linebacker for the Florida State Seminoles, remains in critical condition.

Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young said investigators believe the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, the Associated Press reported.

“Ethan was not, I say, not doing anything wrong in that area,” Young said, per KBTX-TV.

In the aftermath of the shooting, the university released a statement confirming the incident and sharing a message on behalf of Pritchard’s family.

“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,” the statement read.

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Earlier this month, Pritchard’s father, Earl Pritchard, told ABC affiliate WFTV the football player was “heavily sedated” and doctors are waiting to assess damage due to swelling in his head.

According to the FDLE, Miller, Bodison, and the teenage suspect were each charged with three counts of attempted murder, and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. As for Atkins, he was arrested on a charge of violating probation. It’s unclear if they have entered pleas or retained attorneys to speak on their behalf.

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“This is the epitome of classic law enforcement collaboration, helping to heal a community harmed by gun violence,” FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said in the statement. “I commend our agents and fellow law enforcement members for making sure these criminals see the consequences of their actions.”

Miller and Atkins are being held at the Gadsden County Jail, while Bodison was brought to the Leon County Jail without incident, the FDLE said. The teenage suspect was booked into the Leon County Juvenile Detention Center.