Alanda Cuffee, a 38-year-old woman from Warrington, Florida, was killed on April 19, 2026, in a shooting at a home in Escambia County. Online reports conflict on whether she was 38 or 39, but the Gun Violence Memorial profile and early Pensacola News Journal reporting identify her as 38. Her race or ethnicity was not available in the sources reviewed.
The shooting happened on a Sunday morning inside a home in the 2500 block of Gulf Breeze Avenue, near Gulf Beach Highway. Deputies with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded around 10:30 a.m. after the man accused in the shooting, 64-year-old James Pelzer of Pensacola, called 911 himself. When deputies arrived, Pelzer was reportedly outside the home and surrendered without incident. According to reports citing the arrest affidavit, he told deputies, “I messed up. I messed up bad,” and directed them to the gun, which he said was inside the home near the front door.
Inside the residence, first responders found Alanda Cuffee on the floor, unconscious and unresponsive, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said the gun recovered was a small black Ruger. 380, found with an empty magazine and a. 380 round on top of a Bible near the front door.
According to the arrest report described in multiple news accounts, the confrontation began in the kitchen while Cuffee and her mother, Yvonne Pelzer, were there. James Pelzer allegedly tried to walk around Cuffee, and Yvonne told her daughter to move out of his way. Cuffee reportedly replied that he “could say excuse me.” Authorities say Pelzer did not respond verbally. Instead, he allegedly walked back to his bedroom, returned with a handgun, and fired about four or five rounds at Cuffee.
Sheriff Chip Simmons described the motive as a dispute over movement inside the home, essentially whether someone could pass through the kitchen without bumping into another person. The case was described by law enforcement and local media as a minor household disagreement that escalated into deadly violence within moments. Reports also say Yvonne Pelzer witnessed the shooting and later told investigators her husband had a history of anger issues and had previously threatened to use his gun in various situations, though she said he had not been physically violent toward her or Cuffee before the shooting.
James Pelzer was arrested on April 19, 2026. He has been charged with second-degree murder, also described in court records as murder/dangerous depraved without premeditation. He was booked into the Escambia County Jail and held without bond. Some reports state that he refused to answer further questions after his arrest and requested an attorney. Court records cited by media reports listed upcoming court dates in May 2026, including an arraignment date reported as May 15 by one outlet and a May 8 court appearance by another.
No additional suspects were identified in the sources reviewed. The case, as reported, centers on Pelzer as the sole accused shooter. Friends and family remembered Cuffee as someone who loved her mother, her friends, and her family, and one friend described her as selfless.
