Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Eric Powell is hospitalized after apparent robbery attempt Sunday.
By BRIAN LANDMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 18, 2001
Florida State senior defensive end Eric Powell is in serious but stable condition in an Orlando hospital after surgery Sunday for a gunshot wound to the back.
"He seems to be doing fairly well," Orlando Regional Medical Center spokesman Joe Brown said Monday afternoon.
Powell, a 6-foot-4, 270-pound reserve from Orlando, sustained injuries to his liver, lung and diaphragm in what police are treating as an attempted homicide.
"It appears two individuals tried to rob him of his belongings," Orlando Police Department spokesman Sgt. Orlando Rolon said.
He wouldn't specify the possessions, but he did say police received a call around 2 a.m. regarding a possible vehicle burglary in a residential section on the west side of town. Once there, officers found Powell's 1991 Chevy Caprice with a damaged window. Nothing was missing.
"We couldn't get all the information straight yet as to whether that happened during the time frame he was shot or what," Rolon said.
According to the event sheet, Powell only told police that the suspects yelled, "Give it up, it's not worth dying over."
"He said he turned to run and heard two shots. One struck him in the back," Rolon said, adding that Powell got a friend to take him to his mother's home nearby. She then called police.
Powell, 21, was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center at 2:25 a.m. and stabilized in the trauma center, then had surgery. It's unknown how long he will remain hospitalized or how long a recovery he will need, Brown said.
FSU players had the weekend off in wake of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Powell has seven tackles and one quarterback hurry in two games this season.
"We are all very sad about what happened to Eric," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said in a statement. "I talked with his mother this morning and she seems to feel like he is making progress. We are all very sorry and we all will be looking for a speedy and safe recovery for him."
The former standout at Orlando Jones High spent two years at Southwest Mississippi Community College before coming to FSU in 2000.
Rolon said police have "strong leads" and should make an arrest in the near future.