Brian Battie, Auburn football player, on ventilator after Sarasota shooting

Auburn football player Brian Battie is on a ventilator, Tigers Coach Hugh Freeze said Monday, after the 22-year-old running back was reportedly involved in a shooting in Florida.

An older brother of the player, Tommie Battie IV, was killed in the incident, according to police in Sarasota, Fla.

A statement released Saturday by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting took place at approximately 3:30 a.m. Deputies who arrived at a parking lot in a business area were said to have observed “a large crowd with multiple shooting victims.” Battie, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene, while four other victims were taken to hospitals.

Brian Battie was among those victims, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. A columnist for the newspaper reported Sunday that, per someone close to the situation, Battie was able to open his eyes and move his hands after undergoing surgery.

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Sarasota police said Wednesday that they had arrested a suspect in the shooting identified as Darryl Bernard Brookins, a 28-year-old resident of the city. After being charged with murder and attempted murder and as a felon in possession of a firearm, Brookins was listed as in custody at the Sarasota County Correctional Facility, per police.

In an update he shared Monday, Freeze wrote: “Please continue to pray for Brian Battie. There was a set back last night and he’s still on a ventilator.”

Auburn family. Please continue to pray for Brian Battie. There was a set back last night and he’s still on a ventilator. #AUSTRONG

On a landing page for a GoFundMe campaign that, as of Wednesday evening, has raised more than $97,000 in support of his family, Battie was said to be in critical condition. The family has not spoken publicly about the situation.

Auburn said in a statement that it was gathering information on the incident.

Battie, listed at 5-foot-7 and 168 pounds, is coming off his first year with Auburn after three with South Florida. He was the Tigers’ leading kick returner in 2023 while also rushing for 227 yards, bringing his career total in that category to over 2,000 yards. In 2021, Battie earned consensus all-American honors as a kick returner, and in 2022 he was named second-team all-American Athletic Conference as a running back after rushing for 1,186 yards.

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“Hearing the news of this senseless act of gun violence over the weekend has left our family in shock,” Sarasota City Commissioner Kyle Battie said Monday in a statement (via WFLA). “My prayers are with all of the victims and their loved ones, including my cousins who lost their son Tommie, and for my cousin Brian and his friend Lee who are both fighting for their lives. We must come together to do more to save our youth from these tragic ends.”

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