Body cam video shows violent exchange before deputy fatally shoots previously exonerated man
A man fatally shot by Georgia police during a traffic stop had previously served 16 years in prison after a wrongful conviction.
A Camden County deputy pulled 53-year-old Leonard Allan Cure over at about 7:30 a.m. Monday on Interstate 95, according to a statement issued by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
The bureau says that Cure got out of his car upon the deputy's request and otherwise complied until he learned he would be arrested.
"After not complying with the deputy's requests," the deputy stunned him with a Taser. After that, "Cure assaulted the deputy," who used a baton and again a Taser on Cure, the bureau said.
"Cure still did not comply. The deputy pulled out his gun and shot Cure," the bureau said.
Paramedics treated Cure at the scene but he later died. The deputy was not injured.
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The Georgia Bureau of Investigation told USA TODAY on Tuesday that the deputy pulled Cure over for reckless driving and speeding.
The Camden County Sheriff's Office told USA TODAY that Cure was speeding at 90-plus mph.
Body cam footage shows violent exchange
On Wednesday, the sheriff's office released patrol car and body camera videos of the fatal incident
"Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor, along with District Attorney Keith Higgins of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, and GBI Agents investigating the case decided this morning to make the videos available for public review in an effort to be completely transparent as to what happened, and how the incident escalated to the point of extreme Use of Force," the sheriff's department wrote on Facebook.
The officer who the Los Angeles Times confirmed to be Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge, can be seen pulling Cure over. The Camden County Sheriff's office did not respond to USA TODAYS request for additional information on the deputy involved.
Aldridge asks Cure to get out of the car, which he does, but he then refuses to put his hands on the truck.
“I ain’t doing s---,” Cure can be heard telling the deputy.
The exchanged gets tense quickly as Aldridge tells Cure that he'll use a stun gun if he doesn't comply. Cure complies and asks why he's being pulled over.
“You passed me doing 100 miles per hour ,” the deputy said, before asking Cure to put his hands behind his back.
The speed limit was 70 mph.
Cure ignores the Aldridge command and the officer tases him. The shock from the taser causes Cure to flail before turning around and grabbing the officer. The two get into a physical fight on the side of the highway. Both had their hands around the others neck.
Aldridge hits Cure with baton, but he doesn't let go. Then a shot can be heard, and Cure falls to the ground. The deputy, yells at him to stay down, before getting on the radio and calling for help.
“Shots fired, suspect down!” Aldridge says. “Send help!”
Emergency personnel show up and try to revive Cure, but he's pronounced dead at the scene.
Leonard Allan Cure's wrongful conviction
Cure was arrested on Nov. 20, 2003 in Florida on charges of robbery with a firearm and assault with a firearm, according to the Florida Innocence Project.
His arrest stemmed from the robbery of Walgreen's in Dania Beach after one of the victims picked him out of a line-up. The jury in his first trial was deadlocked, but a second jury found Cure guilty.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 2004. In 2020, the Broward State Attorney’s Office's Conviction Review Unit asked a judge for his release, the Sun Sentinel reported.
A judge vacated Cure's convictions in 2020, exonerating him and ordering his release from prison after 16 years.
The Florida Innocence Project said that eyewitness misidentification, official misconduct and ineffective legal counsel contributed to his conviction. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a claims bill in June that awarded Cure $817,000 in compensation for the wrongful imprisonment.
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Reaction to Leonard Allan Cure's death
The Florida Innocence Project did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment but in a statement to the Associated Press, executive director Seth Miller said he was devastated by the news of Cure's death.
“I can only imagine what it’s like to know your son is innocent and watch him be sentenced to life in prison, to be exonerated and ... then be told that once he’s been freed, he’s been shot dead,” Miller said.
On Wednesday, Cure's family alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump held a press conference in front of the Camden County Courthouse before the release of the videos.
Crump said Cure recently bought a house in Georgia and was driving home from visiting his mother, Mary Cure, in Florida.
Cure's mother said she was heartbroken by the loss of her son who said he lived in constant fear of being arrested and imprisoned again. The family said shooting Cure was unnecessary.
“I don’t feel, no matter what happened, that he should have been killed,” Mary Cure said.
Crump said the deputy was acting aggressively from the start of the interaction and could have deescalated the situation.
Cure's family acknowledged that he did become a "bit physical" but for the most part was compliant. The officer, they said, did not try to diffuse the situation and Cure may have been dealing with mental health issues as a result of his wrongful incarceration.
“The officer just triggered him,” Cure's brother Michael said. “It was excitement met with excitement.”
WJXT-TV reported that they obtained the officer's personnel files, which show he has a history of using excessive force during traffic stops. USA TODAY was not able to independently verify the claims.
“He really should be alive,” Cure's brother Michael said. “The officer hit him with his baton and he tased him, twice as a matter of fact. But he did not have to shoot him.”
In a statement posted to Facebook, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said that Cure was the first person exonerated by his office's Conviction Review Unit.
"The Leonard we knew was a smart, funny and kind person," Pryor said. "After he was freed and exonerated by our office, he visited prosecutors at our office and participated in training to help our staff do their jobs in the fairest and most thorough way possible."
Pryor said that Cure would frequently check in on the head of the review unit "and offer our team encouragement to continue to do the important work of justice."
"He had been working a job in security, he was hoping to go to college and wanted to work in broadcast radio production, he was buying his first home," he said. "We send our sincerest condolences to his family and all who knew him."
Officer place on administrative leave
The sheriff's office said Aldridge has been placed on administrative leave.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is still investigating the fatal shooting. The bureau will send it's finding to Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins. Higgins who met with Cure's family on Wednesday, will ultimately decide whether to pursue charges against Aldridge.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia police video shows exchange with Leonard Cure before shooting
