'Lit up the room': Nokomis shooting victim remembered for spreading smiles
Nearly seven years after Octavious Cummings Jr. graduated from Port Charlotte High School, he is still remembered for bringing a smile and laugh to all those around him.
Port Charlotte High School Football Coach Jordan Ingman recalled how the running back made it a joy to come to work and to be around, both on and off the playing field, as he was always making his teammates, coaches and friends laugh.
"He was a guy that lit up the room," Ingman said.
Ingman said the 25-year-old was a talented football player, but more than that, he was the type of player who could be positive in any situation, never buckled under pressure or pointed the blame at someone else.
The former Pirate was the victim of a shooting at the North Jetty Park in Nokomis on May 19. Sarasota investigators believe the shooting resulted from an argument that occurred at the park at 100 Casey Key Rd.
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Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to multiple calls about a shooting at North Jetty Park in Nokomis just after 7 p.m. on May 19 where they found one victim who died at the scene, according to previous reporting.
On Tuesday, SCSO officials announced they had arrested Franklin Roosevelt Raybon Jr., 22, of Port Charlotte, in connection to the shooting.
A probable cause affidavit states that the shooting stemmed from an altercation between Cummings Jr. and Raybon at a party. After the fight, Raybon is alleged to have walked to his car, then drove it a short distance before exiting the car and firing multiple rounds from a 9 mm handgun into the group.
Law enforcement stated in the affidavit they found 13 spent shell casings in the dirt roadway near where the suspect's car had stopped.
A witness told law enforcement that "a brief dispute transpired between the suspect and the group because he did not want his child to be touched by anyone at the party." Raybon arrived at the party with a woman and his infant child, according to the affidavit.
The witness told police that Raybon approached Cummings Jr. and "jumped him" near the beach area.
When Raybon fired the gun, the witness said she and Cummings Jr. hid behind a wooden bench, but a bullet pierced through the bench hitting Cummings Jr.
As of May 21, there have been 11 shootings this year in Sarasota County that have killed six people and injured eight. The shooting that Cummings was a victim in was Sarasota County's third shooting death since Thursday when a 28-year-old man was killed near the intersection of 31st Street and Osprey Avenue.
The second victim, killed early Saturday morning on 17th Street, was identified as 24-year-old Tommie Battie IV. Four others were injured in that incident, including the victim's brother Brian Battie, 22, who was a standout Sarasota High football player and currently is a running back at Auburn University. He is in critical condition at a local hospital, according to a source familiar with the incident.
Marjorie Sanfilippo, executive director of Eckerd College and board director of Prevent Gun Violence Florida, said that while a permitless gun-carrying bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis may impact shooting numbers, researchers need to see more statistics from before and after the bill’s passage. She thinks that there are going to be more accidental shootings, but anything that makes it easier to access guns will increase the number of homicides and suicides, Sanfilippo said.
Sanfilippo studies the psychology of gun violence. She said that the psychology behind why someone decides to shoot another person depends on background and motives like gender, poverty, and mental illness From what researchers know of talking to people who have been involved in shootings, things happen so quickly, and it’s hard to find a right time when you can deescalate.
“It’s like a train coming,” Sanfilippo said. “It’s going so fast there’s not much you can do before you realize things have gone too far, but not having access to guns can help.”
'Life of the team': Port Charlotte High School coach remembers Cummings Jr.
Cummings Jr. transferred to Port Charlotte High School his senior year and despite not starting as a starter, he never complained or acted as if he was entitled to be a starter, Ingman said.
Instead, Cummings Jr. worked hard to earn his spot on the starting line-up. He showed up, had a positive attitude and did his job. He focused on being a team player and celebrated team wins, Ingman recalled.
When you get a player that doesn't think they're entitled, Ingman said it's something coaches appreciate. On and off the field, Cummings Jr. was simply someone who cared about others, with a subtle sense of humor that made everyone laugh.
"He was a young man who made everyone smile," Ingman said.
A friend of Cummings Jr. started a GoFundMe to help support his family during this time, just as he had always done for the community he had surrounding him.
"He looked out for everyone," the message for the GoFundMe reads. "Now it’s our turn to look after him ... I want to come together to gather whatever we can as a community to help this family through this hard time."
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota deputies make arrest in fatal North Jetty Park shooting
