Update: Scott Boyett, a University of Akron student who police say shot a school football player Saturday, fell off the UA football team roster after Spring 2015 because of a medical condition school officials declined to name. The story has been updated to reflect this information.
A University of Akron football player and a former teammate ended up at a city emergency room early Saturday after one shot the other in the stomach, police said.
No charges will be filed because both agreed it was an accident, police said.
Doctors expect the player who was shot, Andrew Pratt, 22, of Green, to recover.
According to Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards, the incident unfolded like this:
Pratt, a receiver, and Scott Boyett, 23, a former offensive tackle from Dania, Fla., have separate apartments at an off-campus house in the 500 block of Rentschler Street.
About 3 a.m., Pratt entered Boyett’s apartment without knocking or announcing himself.
Boyett shot Pratt because he thought he was a burglar.
Someone at the house called police at 3:22 a.m. By the time officers arrived, Boyett had already taken Pratt to the emergency room at Akron Children’s Hospital.
Officers found Boyett in the emergency room’s waiting area and questioned him separately from Pratt.
Both students told officers the same story and Pratt, too, said he believed the shooting was “an honest mistake.”
Pratt was later transferred to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center where he was in stable condition.
Akron police, university police and a crime scene unit, meanwhile, combed the Rentschler Street house in search of evidence.
After police consulted with prosecutors, they decided no charges would be filed because all parties agreed that the shooting was an accident.
Police did not list in reports what kind of gun was used in the shooting, who it belonged to or whether it was purchased legally.
What the shooting means for the academic or athletic futures of the students involved is unclear.
UA Athletics Director Larry Williams issued a statement Saturday evening:
“We are saddened and concerned to learn of this situation and we hope that Andrew recovers fully,” he wrote. “While we know the incident occurred at an off-campus location, we will wait to learn more from the Akron Police Department about what occurred. We are keeping Andrew in our thoughts and prayers.”
A university spokesperson declined further comment.
The university’s website lists Pratt as a senior wide receiver. He graduated from Green High School and comes from an athletic family.
His father, David Pratt, played Division II basketball at Virginia State University and one of his two sisters, Sara Pratt, played Division II basketball at Clarion University of Pennsylvania.
Boyett was a junior on the offensive line, UA’s website said.
He attended South Broward High School in Hollywood, Fla., where he was a four-year starter.
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.