On the early morning of October 7, 1988, James William Lance, Jr., a 40-year-old white male and a lieutenant with the Southaven Police Department in Mississippi, was tragically killed in the line of duty. The incident unfolded at approximately 1:30 a.m. when Lieutenant Lance conducted a traffic stop on Goodman Road. The vehicle he pulled over matched the description of one that had been involved in several armed robberies in the neighboring city of Memphis, Tennessee.
As Lieutenant Lance was in the process of handcuffing the male passenger of the vehicle, the female driver unexpectedly exited the car and opened fire, striking him multiple times. Despite being critically wounded, Lieutenant Lance was able to return fire, though he did not hit the shooter. He succumbed to his injuries approximately thirty minutes later at a local hospital. His death marked the first line-of-duty fatality for the Southaven Police Department.
Following the shooting, a thorough investigation led to the swift apprehension of the two suspects, Lawrence Kirby Payne and Susie Ann Balfour. Both were charged in connection with the murder of Lieutenant Lance. Payne pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit capital murder and, as a habitual offender, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Susie Ann Balfour, the shooter, was convicted of capital murder. Initially, she was sentenced to death by lethal injection. However, her death sentence was later overturned, and she was resentenced to life in prison. After a period of incarceration, Balfour was paroled in 2021 and passed away in 2025. The tragic loss of Lieutenant Lance, a dedicated officer, left a lasting impact on his family, including his wife and four children, as well as the Southaven community and his fellow officers.
