FLORIDA — The attorneys representing the Florida State University football player shot in the head while driving by an apartment complex in Havana, Florida, in late August have filed a lawsuit.
Injured Seminole linebacker Ethan Pritchard, his father and his attorneys Greg Francis and Ryan Fletcher of Osborne & Francis Law Firm are scheduled to announce the lawsuit at a press conference at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Orlando.
Pritchard was shot on 16th Street on Aug. 31 while taking his aunt and 3-year-old niece back to their home in Havana, Fla. Officials said Pritchard did not do anything wrong, and they believe his car was mistaken for another man.
The lawsuit filed in Gadsden County earlier this month accuses both Riverside Apartment Complex and Havana Heights Apartments of being aware of the litany of criminal activity near the establishments. The complaint also alleges the owners of the apartment complexes knew or should have known there was an inclination for criminal conduct by others in the area, which exposed residents, guests and the public traveling the nearby roadways between the premises to an unreasonably dangerous condition.
In addition, the complaint alleges the premises did not have on-site security guards, working gates, and that" Community Havana's CCTV cameras were inoperable."
Since the shooting, four people, including a juvenile, have been arrested in the case.
After his hospitalization, Pritchard continued his recovery at the Brooks Rehabilitation Center in Jacksonville.
Pritchard returned to Doak Campbell Stadium in a wheelchair when Florida State took on Virginia Tech Saturday, Nov. 15, in Tallahassee.
The lawsuit demands a jury trial and damages in excess of $50,000.
Tampa Bay 28 has reached out to the legal representation for Riverside Apartment Complex for a response, and Zachary J. Brewer, the senior partner for Luks, Santaniello, Petrillo, Cohen & Peterfriend, emailed the following statement: "We are fully cooperating with law enforcement on their investigation. We have a firm policy not to comment on cases in active litigation."
This is a developing story. Tampa Bay 28 will provide more details as they become available.
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