Auburn running back Brian Battie on ventilator after weekend shooting in Florida, coach says

Auburn running back Brian Battie has been hospitalized following a weekend shooting in Sarasota, Florida, where his brother was killed and three others injured.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s office said they responded to a strip mall at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, finding a large crowd and multiple shooting victims in the parking lot. The office said in a statement that Tommie L. Battie IV was pronounced dead at the scene. Four others, who weren’t named, were taken to hospitals in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze updated Brian Battie’s condition in a social media post on Monday.

“Auburn family. Please continue to pray for Brian Battie,” Freeze wrote on X. “There was a set back last night and he’s still on a ventilator.”

Battie spent three seasons at South Florida before transferring to Auburn. He ran for 227 yards and a touchdown last season while ranking fourth in the Southeastern Conference in kick return average (23.0 yards).

The 5-foot-7, 168-pounder ran for 1,186 yards in 2022 and finished his South Florida career with 1,842 yards and 10 touchdowns.

A GoFundMe page was started by two women who said they were godmothers of the Battie brothers. The page had raised nearly $60,000 by Monday.

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