Ethan Pritchard, a freshman linebacker with the Florida State University football team, was in critical but stable condition after he was shot while visiting family members, authorities said.

According to the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, Pritchard, 18, was inside a vehicle outside apartments when the shooting occurred Sunday night in Havana, a suburb of Tallahassee that is approximately 16 miles from the Georgia state line.

“Officers did arrive (and) were able to get him out of the vehicle, and EMS arrived where they transported him to a local hospital,” said Capt. Anglie Holmes, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office.

Pritchard, from the Orlando suburb of Sanford, was a standout linebacker for Seminole High School, according to the FSU football media guide. He enrolled at the Tallahassee school over the summer.

He did not play in FSU’s season-opening 31-17 upset victory against No. 8 Alabama, but Pritchard had earned praise from defensive coordinator Tony White during 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 at the time.

In a statement, Florida State noted that Pritchard was “in critical but stable condition.”

“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. “Further updates will be provided as they are available.”

Holmes said an investigation was ongoing.

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