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Deputies: Bradenton Slaying Involving Teens Was Retaliation

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Timothy L. Brooks appears before a judge Tuesday regarding the shooting death of a 19-year-old Bradenton man.

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By HALLE STOCKTON

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: July 16, 2008

MANATEE COUNTY - Authorities say a marijuana run by William J. White Jr., 19, and Jakob Cunnien, 17, ended with White dead and two 18-year-olds in custody, one of them a rising gridiron star at Lakewood Ranch High School.

Cody P. Rogers and the Lakewood student, Timothy L. Brooks, are in custody.

William J. White Jr., 19, is dead -- shot in the neck.

Authorities say Rogers and Brooks held guns to the heads of White and Cunnien, who were sitting in a car in Brooks' neighborhood in the 1600 block of 27th Avenue East in Bradenton about 8 p.m. Sunday.

Authorities say Brooks and Rogers thought White and Cunnien were men who had robbed them.

Deputies say Brooks tore a necklace off White and shot him in the neck.

Cunnien slammed on the gas to escape when he heard a gunshot and looked over to see White bleeding, deputies say. White was pronounced dead about 8:20 p.m. at Manatee Memorial Hospital.

Brooks was arrested Monday afternoon -- charged with murder.

Rogers was arrested Tuesday in Hendry County on a warrant claiming that he was a party to the killing.

Sheriff's deputies have found no handguns and are looking for additional witnesses, said Manatee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dave Bristow.

"There were people just kind of meandering around the neighborhood -- more than just the four that were involved," Bristow said.

Kewarren Jones, 19, described as a longtime friend of Brooks, said news of his friend's arrest made its way swiftly through phone calls among friends. Jones said he and others were shocked to the point of disbelief.

"I was telling him we need to focus to go to the next level," Jones said Tuesday. "I was looking forward to seeing him in college. He's a good kid. He was well-respected."

People have posted numerous supportive messages on Brooks' MySpace Web page since his arrest. "Keep ya head up, kid!" one person wrote Tuesday. Another message reads: "Free Tim Brooks."

Brooks' page is adorned with pictures of him playing football and basketball at Lakewood Ranch High School. In text with one action photo, Brooks, calling himself the "next Reggie Bush," likens himself to the New Orleans Saints' star running back.

Cody Rogers' sister, Cassidy, said she disagrees with what is being said about her brother and that the family is not taking the arrest well.

"I guess nobody really knows the truth about what happened but them. ... It's difficult to talk about," she said.

Rogers was being held in Hendry County on Tuesday and was expected to be transferred to the Manatee County Jail.

Rogers once was a student at Sarasota High School, according to sheriff's reports.

Herald-Tribune archives show Rogers graduated from Horizons Academy, an alternative school in Manatee County, in June.

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