The Sarasota County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office arrested a Sarasota man and charged him with murder Wednesday in connection with a shooting last weekend that killed the brother of Auburn running back Brian Battie and injured Battie and three others.
Darryl Brookins, 28, was booked and charged with murder and attempted murder and as a felon in possession of a firearm, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. He is scheduled to be arraigned July 3, per online arrest records.
Tommie Battie IV, 24, died in the shooting. Brian Battie was one of four others transported to local hospitals.
The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. ET on Saturday in Sarasota, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies “observed a large crowd with multiple shooting victims in the parking lot,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release, adding it appeared to be an isolated incident.
On Monday, Auburn coach Hugh Freeze posted on social media that Battie had a setback and was on a ventilator.
“Please continue to pray for Brian Battie,” Freeze posted on his X account.
A GoFundMe fundraiser organized to support the Battie family launched Sunday. As of 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the campaign had received donations exceeding $96,000. A brief description on the fundraising page, which says it was organized by the godmothers of Tommie and Brian Battie, asked visitors to “continue to pray for Brian to make a full recovery to return home with his loving family.”
Brian Battie, 22, is a Sarasota native. He is listed as a senior on Auburn’s 2024 roster. He joined the Tigers in 2023 and appeared in all 13 games, rushing for 227 yards and one touchdown on 51 carries. He returned 28 kicks for 645 yards. Before transferring to Auburn, Battie played three seasons with South Florida and was recognized as a consensus All-America kick returner in 2021.
(Photo: Ken Murray / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
