Georgia football signee E.J. Lightsey was shot multiple times in his hometown of Fitzgerald, Georgia, on Monday and is in stable condition, according to Fitzgerald Police Chief William Smallwood Jr.
Smallwood told ESPN that his officers responded to reports of a shooting at a park in Fitzgerald around 6:30 p.m. Monday, where they found one victim lying on the ground. Another victim, Lightsey, had already been taken to a hospital by acquaintances.
Smallwood said Lightsey was transferred to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia. Lightsey was shot in the shoulder and back and is expected to recover. Smallwood said the incident seemed to be gang-related. Smallwood said Lightsey told police he was in the park working out when he was shot.
“It turned out that Lightsey was the one that was picked up and taken to the hospital,” Smallwood said. “After that, I can’t tell you exactly what happened because we’ve got so many different stories and versions of it. We’re trying to piece it together right now.”
Smallwood said a detective talked to one of Lightsey’s relatives on Tuesday morning, who reported that Lightsey was alert and “doing pretty good.”
Smallwood said no arrests have been made.
Lightsey, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker, helped lead Fitzgerald High School to a Class 2A state championship this past season. He was named the Class 2A state defensive player of the year by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was ranked the No. 21 inside linebacker in the country by ESPN Recruiting.
