Auburn Tigers football coach Hugh Freeze took to social media to ask for prayers for running back Brian Battie, who was shot and wounded in a fatal incident in Florida over the weekend.
The shooting in Sarasota left his brother, Tony Battie IV, dead and several others injured.
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Tigers running back Brian Battie runs past a Massachusetts Minutemen defender at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, on Sept. 2, 2023. (John Reed-USA Today Sports)
“Auburn family. Please continue to pray for Brian Battie. There was a setback last night and he is still on a ventilator,” Freeze wrote on X.
Battie was in critical condition after the Sarasota shooting, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported Saturday.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office said it was investigating the deadly incident. Authorities said officers responded to reports of a shooting around 3:30 a.m. ET.
Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze during the A-Day spring game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, on April 6, 2024. (Jake Crandall/Advertiser/USA Today Network)
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Responding deputies “observed a large crowd with multiple gunshot victims in the parking lot,” the sheriff's office said in a news release. Four additional victims were transported to hospitals in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Authorities said the shooting appeared to be an isolated incident. It was not revealed what sparked the violence.
Brian Battie began his college career at South Florida in 2020. He immediately worked his way into becoming a starter for the 2022 season. He rushed for 1,185 yards and eight touchdowns.
He was named an All-American in 2021 as a return specialist.
The Tigers' Brian Battie looks to escape a tackle by Massachusetts Minutemen linebacker Gerrell Johnson at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Sept. 2, 2023 in Auburn. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)
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He transferred to Auburn after the 2022 season. With the Tigers, he rushed for 227 yards and a touchdown.
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