MANKATO — A former Minnesota State University football player who pleaded guilty to attempting to kill an alleged drug partner will spend at least eight years in prison.

Dennis Ervin Carter, 27, was arrested in August 2014 after he shot Diaa Ahmed Abdelhakim in the head.

The two men had arranged a meeting for Carter to deliver drugs, but instead Carter left the marijuana at his apartment in Mankato, according to authorities.

Abdelhakim escaped after being shot on a rural road near the Renaissance Festival grounds. He ran to get help from people camping on the grounds. He told investigators Carter fired the handgun a second time but it jammed.

Carter fled in his car and was arrested after being stopped on Highway 169 near Jordan.

A Scott County judge sentenced Carter late last month to nearly 13 years in prison for the attempted murder charges. A charge of first-degree premeditated attempted murder was dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to the Free Press.

With good behavior, Carter could be released after serving about eight years. Once Carter is out of prison, he would remain on supervised release for the remaining four years of his sentence.

Carter’s prison time also could be extended if he is found guilty of felony drug possession charges filed in Blue Earth County. After he was arrested for the shooting, authorities in Mankato searched his apartment near the MSU campus and found a duffle bag containing 29 pounds of marijuana that they say was supposed to be delivered.

He is scheduled to appear in court next month for those charges.

Carter was a top receiver and special teams player when he was a senior on the MSU football team in 2013.