The recent rash of shootings and homicides on the west side of Pensacola are tied to two families, Dortch and Abrams. The feud began last December when Keondrick Abrams, age 17, was shot and killed in the Baptist Hospital parking lot in Pensacola. James Dortch, 20, and Novel Austin Jr., 20, are charged with murder in his death.
The shooting of Matthew Cox, 19, is suspected to be a part of the feud—Cox is tied to the Dortch family, according to sources. Cox was shot in front of his mother’s house in the Montclair neighborhood on the evening of July 27. No one has been arrested for his murder.
A drive-by shooting by that occurred Aug. 7 on West Jackson Street has been tied to the Dortch-Abrams feud. On Aug. 11, Rufus Abrams, who is related to deceased Keondrick Abrams, was arrested in the shooting. Police reports said 19-year-old Keontre Dortch, James Dortch’s brother, was the target of the shootings.
This past Tuesdays there was a shootout between Pensacola Police and a suspect in Attucks Court. The man who died from the shooting was Terrance Lamar Abrams, 25. The Dortch family lives in Attucks Court.