All four suspects in the shooting of Florida State football linebacker Ethan Pritchard are in custody, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday.
Glass, flanked by Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young, Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil, FSU Athletic Director Michael Alford, along with representatives from the Tallahassee Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and Florida State University Police Department, said they served search warrants Wednesday morning to arrest Jayden Bodison, Caron Miller, Germany Atkins, and a 16-year-old “juvenile.”
“When one hurts, we all hurt. When something happens in our area, we all have to respond. We respond by giving tips, we respond by rallying around each other. And what you’re seeing behind me is one team, one fighting in the Big Bend area here,” Glass said.
“All four suspects, I can tell you today, that hurt FSU student Ethan Pritchard and his family are in custody.”
Pritchard was shot in the head near the Havana Heights Apartment complex after what was described as an “ambush” of gunfire on Sunday, Aug. 31, while taking his aunt and a 3-year-old child home from a family cookout in Havana.
Alford provided an update on the health of Pritchard, who remains in Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.
“Not much has changed right now. He is in critical but stable condition,” Alford said. “We would just like everyone to pray for him.”
Sheriff Young said that Pritchard was doing “absolutely nothing wrong” and was in “the wrong place at the wrong time.” All four suspects are believed to be involved in a Tuesday, Aug. 25, shooting of Marcus Harris, also at the Havana Heights Apartments.
“We believe in this investigation that it was a mistaken identity. I mentioned the first shooting when Marcus Harris was a victim on Tuesday, the 25th, we believe that the same type of car that Ethan was driving was involved in that shooting,” Sheriff Young said.
“We don’t know that for a fact, but that’s the reason why they were sort of humming in on that particular vehicle… I can say that Ethan was totally, totally nowhere near involved in this incident.”
Court records show that Atkins and Bodison have been arrested before on gun-related charges
Atkins, 23, was arrested Aug. 24, 2022, for carrying a concealed weapon after he was found by Gadsden County deputies with a loaded Glock 23 pistol in his pants pocket at the Riverside apartment complex in Havana. The state later dropped the charge against Atkins, who didn’t have a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
He was arrested again on Sept. 9, 2023, in Tallahassee and charged with possession of a machine gun and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. The arrest report with details was not immediately available, but the indictment shows he was found with oxycodone and more than 30 grams of marijuana.
Atkins pleaded no contest in a deal with prosecutors, and adjudication was withheld, according to court records. He was sentenced to two days in jail and two years of probation.
Bodison, also 23, was arrested Nov. 24, 2021, after Havana police officers found him in possession of a Glock pistol without a license during a traffic stop. The state dropped that charge, according to court records. Bodison played football for Gadsden County High School and was a 3-star recruit.
FSU football honored Pritchard in the 77-3 win over East Texas A&M last Saturday by wearing his number 35 on wristbands.
Additionally, his father, Earl, stood on the sidelines and broke the Seminoles’ ceremonial rock postgame. Safety Earl Little Jr. also wore Pritchard’s name on his nose tape and brought his jersey to the midfield coin toss before the game.
Investigative Reporter Jeff Burlew contributed to this report
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ethan Pritchard shooting update: FSU LB ‘ambushed’ by gunfire, all 4 suspects in custody
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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