Deiondre Porter, a freshman defensive back on the Florida Gators football team, was arrested for multiple felonies for allegedly firing a gun toward his pregnant girlfriend.
According to The Associated Press, the incident in question took place Sept. 29 around 2:15 a.m., a few days after the Gators beat Tennessee in week four. Porter then sat out the team's next two games and was arrested Wednesday, two days after the alleged victim reported the incident.
Florida head football coach Jim McElwain suspended Porter indefinitely following his arrest on four felony charges. He was remanded to Alachua County Jail, where he is being held on $160,000 bail.
"She said she was scared. She was dealing with a well-known UF football player and she was honestly terrified to come to the police and report it," Officer Ben Tobias, a police spokesman, told The AP in a statement.
Porter allegedly confronted the woman because he thought she was in a romantic relationship with one of his teammates, which she denied. The police report indicated Porter was aware his girlfriend was pregnant, but pointed the gun at her head regardless. After a few hours in which the two apparently fell asleep in separate rooms, Porter continued accusing her of cheating on him and fired his gun in her direction, though he was not trying to hit her.
McElwain told reporters during his weekly teleconference Porter's "choices" led to his suspension, which is something he referenced previously when commenting on a player's suspension.
"Choices and decisions is something we talk about constantly," he said. "He is suspended indefinitely for obviously a choice. It's his choice not to be with us. It's one of those things we don't obviously condone."
