SARASOTA, FL – A gun violence episode in Sarasota, Florida in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday morning, injured four individuals, resulting in one fatality. Among the injured was Brian Battie, a recognized football player at Auburn University, various news channels shared.
At around 3:30 am, law enforcement officers in Sarasota County responded to a reported shooting happening in the neighborhood of 17th Street. The tragedy, according to a statement from the local sheriff’s office, claimed one life and sent four other individuals to nearby hospitals for emergency aid.
The fatality was identified to be Tommie L. Battie IV, who was revealed to be the brother of Auburn football player Brian Battie.
In the aftermath, traffic in the vicinity of the crime scene was affected, with the local police needing to close one eastbound lane while carrying out the investigation. The shooting is currently understood as an isolated event, law enforcement said.
Authorities are actively encouraging anyone with potentially helpful information to reach out to the Criminal Investigation Section or the Crime Stoppers of Sarasota.
In a statement, Auburn University acknowledged that Brian Battie was amongst the victims in the Florida shooting. An official from Auburn stated that they are in the process of collecting detailed facts about the incident.