Incident occurs close to intersection of 31st Street and Osprey Avenue
The Sarasota Police Department has arrested two Sarasota teenagers, Tujuan Byrd, 15, and Ladarius Goodman-Mills, 14, in connection with a May 16 homicide that occurred near the intersection of 31st St and Osprey Avenue in Sarasota, the Police Department has reported.
The incident took place shortly after 10 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, the agency noted in a news release.
The victim, a 28-year-old male, died as a result of the injuries he sustained when he was shot, a May 17 news release said. Police Department personnel reported the death in a 12:30 p.m. update on May 17 on its Facebook page.
“This is an isolated incident,” the release pointed out; “the public is not believed to be in danger.”
The intersection of 31st Street and North Osprey Avenue is southeast of the location of Booker High School, a map shows. Washington Boulevard/U.S. 301 is about five blocks east of the intersection. Other than Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church, the area appears to include single-family homes.
This is the fifth shooting in the Newtown community that The Sarasota News Leader has reported since the start of the year. The most recent one prior to this incident occurred on April 29, as the Police Department announced at that time. In that case, which happened in the 2700 block of Gillespie Avenue, the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the department added.
Anyone with information regarding the May 16 homicide is asked to call Detective Fergus at 941-263-6070, the latest news release added.
As always, the release said, members of the public have the option of leaving an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers of Sarasota by calling 941-366-TIPS or going online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com. Persons also may call Detective Fergus at 941-263-6070, the agency added.
The News Leader did not find any information about the suspects in a search of Corrections Division records of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
However, the News Leader did learn from a review of records maintained by the Office of the Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller that Byrd was charged in December 2023 with a first offense of reckless driving, plus a count of having no driver license. Earlier, on Feb. 4, 2022, he was cited for possessing tobacco as a minor, which also was a first offense, the court records show. Both of those cases remain open, the dockets note.