THE DARK SIDE OF FLORIDA
Lancelot Armstrong
#693504
photo courtesy FDC
Full Name: Lancelot "Lance" Uriley Armstrong
Date of birth: July 29, 1963
Conviction: 1st-degree murder
County: Broward
City: Fort Lauderdale
Current Location: Union Correctional Institution
Date of Crime: February 17, 1990
Tentative discharge date: Death sentence
Victim(s): John "Jack" Greeney
Date of birth: July 29, 1963
Conviction: 1st-degree murder
County: Broward
City: Fort Lauderdale
Current Location: Union Correctional Institution
Date of Crime: February 17, 1990
Tentative discharge date: Death sentence
Victim(s): John "Jack" Greeney
In the early morning hours of February 17, 1990, Lancelot “Lance” Uriley Armstrong called a friend and asked him to go with him to rob a Church’s Fried Chicken restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, but the friend refused. According to several employees of Church’s, around 2:00 that same morning, Lance and Michael Coleman came to the restaurant to see Kay Allen, who was the assistant manager and Lance’s former girlfriend. The restaurant employees testified that Kay did not want see Lance and asked him to leave. Lance and Michael, however, remained at the restaurant and eventually Kay accompanied Lance to his car while Michael stayed in the restaurant. The employees additionally testified that Kay and Lance appeared to be arguing while they were sitting in the vehicle.
Kay testified that while she was in the car with Lance he told her he was going to rob the restaurant and showed her a gun under the seat of the car, and told her that he might have to kill her if she didn’t cooperate. Michael then came out to the car and Lance, Michael and Kay all went back into the restaurant. Kay was responsible for closing the restaurant and by this time, the other employees had left. Michael and Lance ordered Kay to get the money from the safe. Before doing so, Kay managed to push the silent alarm. Shortly thereafter, Lance returned to the car. Michael remained in the restaurant with Kay to collect the money from the safe.
When the alarm signal was received by the alarm company, the police were notified and Deputy Sheriffs Robert Sallustio and John “Jack” Greeney went to the restaurant where they found Lance sitting in a blue Toyota. Greeney ordered Lance out of the car and told him to put his hands on the car. After Lance put his hands on the car, Greeney holstered his gun to pat Lance down. Sallustio then noticed movement within the restaurant, heard shots being fired from the restaurant and from the direction of the car, and then felt a shot to his chest. Apparently, when the movement and shots from the restaurant distracted the officers, Lance managed to get his gun and began firing at the officers.
According to Kay, when Michael noticed that officers were outside the building, he started firing. Kay took cover inside the restaurant from where she heard Michael firing more shots and heard a machine gun being fired outside the restaurant. Sallustio was shot three times, but managed to run from Lance and radio for assistance. When other officers arrived, they found Greeney dead at the scene. He had died instantly. Kay was found inside the restaurant; Michael and Lance had fled.
That same day, Lance told one friend that he got shot and that he returned a shot; he told his girlfriend that a police officer had asked him to step out of his car and that, when he did so, the officer pulled a gun on him and tried to shoot him; and he told another friend that someone shot him while trying to rob him. Thereafter, Lance and Michael fled the state but were apprehended the next day in Maryland. Before being apprehended, Lance had two bullets removed from his arm by a Maryland doctor.
A number of shell casings were recovered from the scene. All of the bullets removed from Sallustio and Greeney were fired from a 9mm semi-automatic. Evidence reflected that Lance had purchased a 9mm semi-automatic the month before the murder. Lance’s fingerprints were found in the blue Toyota as well as on firearm forms found in the car. Additional ballistics evidence reflected that the shots fired from the restaurant did not come from a 9mm. This indicated that only someone near the car could have fired the shouts that wounded Sallustio and killed Greeney. Testimony also reflected that Lance was seen with a 9mm right after the incident.
Kay testified that while she was in the car with Lance he told her he was going to rob the restaurant and showed her a gun under the seat of the car, and told her that he might have to kill her if she didn’t cooperate. Michael then came out to the car and Lance, Michael and Kay all went back into the restaurant. Kay was responsible for closing the restaurant and by this time, the other employees had left. Michael and Lance ordered Kay to get the money from the safe. Before doing so, Kay managed to push the silent alarm. Shortly thereafter, Lance returned to the car. Michael remained in the restaurant with Kay to collect the money from the safe.
When the alarm signal was received by the alarm company, the police were notified and Deputy Sheriffs Robert Sallustio and John “Jack” Greeney went to the restaurant where they found Lance sitting in a blue Toyota. Greeney ordered Lance out of the car and told him to put his hands on the car. After Lance put his hands on the car, Greeney holstered his gun to pat Lance down. Sallustio then noticed movement within the restaurant, heard shots being fired from the restaurant and from the direction of the car, and then felt a shot to his chest. Apparently, when the movement and shots from the restaurant distracted the officers, Lance managed to get his gun and began firing at the officers.
According to Kay, when Michael noticed that officers were outside the building, he started firing. Kay took cover inside the restaurant from where she heard Michael firing more shots and heard a machine gun being fired outside the restaurant. Sallustio was shot three times, but managed to run from Lance and radio for assistance. When other officers arrived, they found Greeney dead at the scene. He had died instantly. Kay was found inside the restaurant; Michael and Lance had fled.
That same day, Lance told one friend that he got shot and that he returned a shot; he told his girlfriend that a police officer had asked him to step out of his car and that, when he did so, the officer pulled a gun on him and tried to shoot him; and he told another friend that someone shot him while trying to rob him. Thereafter, Lance and Michael fled the state but were apprehended the next day in Maryland. Before being apprehended, Lance had two bullets removed from his arm by a Maryland doctor.
A number of shell casings were recovered from the scene. All of the bullets removed from Sallustio and Greeney were fired from a 9mm semi-automatic. Evidence reflected that Lance had purchased a 9mm semi-automatic the month before the murder. Lance’s fingerprints were found in the blue Toyota as well as on firearm forms found in the car. Additional ballistics evidence reflected that the shots fired from the restaurant did not come from a 9mm. This indicated that only someone near the car could have fired the shouts that wounded Sallustio and killed Greeney. Testimony also reflected that Lance was seen with a 9mm right after the incident.
Source: FindLaw