Teen killed during alleged robbery

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - The community surrounding Deauville Street in Pensacola is mourning the loss of 19-year-old Matthew Cox, who was shot to death during a robbery.

Cox was killed Friday night, but the news of his death is already spreading. James Williams lived down the street from Cox for years.

"We all grew up around each other. I watched him grow up and he didn't deserve for that to happen to him. He was a respectful kid and he was a good person," Williams said.

The impact of his death has devastated his family. They came together at their home Saturday, just hours after he died.

Jason McGruder says his stepson graduated from Pensacola High School and was in the process of figuring his life out.

"He's a person that you'd want sitting right next to you if you were going through anything. He'd go through it with you, whether he knew about it or not. He was loved by a whole lot of people," McGruder said.

Authorities say an unidentified black man walked up to Cox and another person, 20-year-old Charles D. Boutwell, outside Cox’s home around 11:30 Friday night, held a gun to them and demanded money.

Deputies say the robbery went wrong and Cox was shot.

A close friend of Cox says they had just been playing cards next door. When he heard what happened, he ran over and found him on the living room floor.

"His eyes were open so I checked his pulse to see if it was doing anything. I didn't know what to think, I just was looking at my homeboy, hoping the Lord wasn't ready to call him home," said Cox’s friend.

But deputies say Cox soon passed away.

His family says they're still trying to make sense of it.

"You'll never be at peace until you find out everything that happened and the person responsible is put away," McGruder said. "I know I'm not at peace and nobody's really at peace. The family wants to know why. He's going to be missed, I know I miss him. I still can't believe it."

Escambia County Deputies are still investigating the shooting as a drug-related crime and are looking for who's responsible.

If you have any information on the crime, contact the Escambia County Sheriff's Office at 850-436-9620 or Crimestoppers at 850-433-STOP.