Girlfriend of man accused of shooting Battie brothers in Sarasota charged
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The girlfriend of a man who is accused of shooting Tommie and Brian Battie, an Auburn running back, last month in Sarasota has been charged, according to an affidavit.
Nicole Roberts, 29, of Sarasota, was arrested on Friday after deputies said she was allegedly seen on surveillance video getting rid of the gun they believe was used in the shooting.
WATCH: Surveillance video, 911 audio shed light on how Sarasota shootout unfolded
Roberts is the girlfriend of Darryl Brookins Jr., 28. Brookins allegedly shot the Battie brothers as they approached him on May 18 near a hookah lounge on 17th Street. The Battie brothers shot back.
Tommie Battie IV died in the shooting and Brian Battie was seriously injured. Brian Battie also previously played at USF.
Video footage showed a white Hyundai Elantra, which was reportedly rented from Turo by Roberts, leave the area where the shooting took place at about 3:30 a.m. Several minutes later, the vehicle was seen stopping on Roxanne Boulevard, which is in the direction that Brookins fled after the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Video above from May 22, 2024: Man charged in deadly shooting that injured Brian Battie, killed his brother booked into jail
The car was seen traveling into Manatee County and making circles through a residential waterfront community in the area of Westmoreland Drive and Broughton Street. Deputies said they believe they were trying to dispose of a weapon, but there was no direct waterfront access to do that without being spotted.
Shortly after, the vehicle was spotted near Riverside Drive East and 24th Street Northeast in the Bradenton area, deputies said. Surveillance video in the area showed the car parked along the Manatee River and a woman getting out of the car.
The woman, whose appearance matched that of Roberts, was seen throwing what deputies believed was a gun into the river, according to the affidavit.
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The vehicle was then spotted at an apartment complex along MacDill Avenue in Tampa about an hour later, where Brookins was seen getting out of the car, the affidavit states. At about 6 a.m., both Brookins and Roberts were seen leaving again in the vehicle.
At about 11:30 a.m., the car was spotted at Walgreens on University Parkway in Sarasota, where Roberts was seen entering the store, where she purchased wound closure strips, blood control spray and other first aid items, according to the affidavit.
Deputies with the Sheriff’s Underwater Recovery Force on Thursday searched the area where Roberts was allegedly seen throwing something into the river and found a Glock 9mm, according to the affidavit.
Roberts was charged with principal to second-degree murder with a firearm. She is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
Brookins was previously charged with murder, attempted murder and felon in possession of a firearm. Brookins’ attorney has said the shooting was self-defense.
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