On January 24th, 1970, Dayton Police Patrolman James L. Mobley was responding to the report of a stabbing when he suffered critical injuries from getting shot.

He and a fellow officer had been heading to the scene when they stopped and arrested a heavily intoxicated man—they had found him lying in the street—who they put in the back seat of the cruiser. But just after they arrived at the stabbing scene, without any warning, the man drew a handgun and opened fire. Patrolman Mobley was hit twice in the back and fell. But despite also being hit, the other officer was able to return fire and wound the man as he fled.

James died of his injuries the next day, on January 25th, 1970. The wounded officer survived. The 56-year-old shooter was sentenced to death and died in prison less than two years later.

Patrolman Mobley was 21 years old at the time of his death, and had served with the Dayton Police Department for just one year. He was survived by his father, mother, brother, and two sisters.

James was a second-generation police officer whose father had also served with the department. He was widely known as an outstanding, hard-working officer who loved and respected the job, and especially the opportunities it gave him for helping people in trouble. He was going to be married less than two weeks after the incident, and had told his fiancée he was going to be a police chief someday.