James Armstrong, 26, was killed on April 4, 1994, while working at a Blockbuster Video in East Dallas. An armed robber, identified as Leon Dorsey, entered the store intent on stealing money from the safe. Witness accounts say Armstrong and a 20-year-old colleague, Brad Lindsey, attempted to flee; Dorsey shot both employees with a 9mm pistol. Dorsey took less than $400 from the register before fleeing the scene.

Dorsey was not initially linked to the killings. He was later arrested after committing another murder during a robbery in Ellis County, and authorities connected him to the Blockbuster slayings. Those who knew Armstrong and Lindsey remember the two young men and the sudden, violent loss the community experienced.