HAVANA, Fla. — Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard is suing two apartment complexes in Havana, Florida, alleging they ignored repeated warnings about violent crime before he was shot in the head on August 31, 2025.
The lawsuit names neighboring apartment complexes, Riverside Apartments and Havana Heights, in the small town about 25 miles north of Tallahassee. Attorneys say both had multiple shootings in the year before the attack, including one just five days earlier, yet took no steps to improve safety like adding lighting, gates, or security.
Pritchard, 18, was driving his aunt and niece home when he was mistakenly targeted. He suffered a critical brain injury and remains in rehabilitation.
At a press conference, attorney Greg Orio Francis said:
“What if apartment owners… actually paid attention to what the needs are of their complexes… had they done that, we wouldn’t be here today.”
The suit claims the shooters walked freely between the complexes for 30 minutes with an AK-47. It’s an attack that attorneys say basic security could have prevented.
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