A Florida man who spent over 16 years in jail after a false conviction was fatally shot in Georgia by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop on Monday, according to authorities.
The man, identified as 53-year-old Leonard Allen Cure, spent 16 years in jail after being wrongfully convicted of armed robbery in 2003. He was exonerated in Dec. 2020 after a reinvestigation.
Dashcam video from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office shows the deputy pulling Cure over early Monday morning and ordering him out of his truck after catching him speeding on Interstate 95, according to Local 10 News.
The video shows the deputy, who identifies himself to the victim as a staff sergeant in the dashcam footage, repeatedly yelling, “Get out!” Cure then exits the truck, saying, “I ain’t doin’ shit.”
Cure continues to argue refuse to cooperate, prompting the deputy to draw a taser. He then tells Cure that he is under arrest for speeding and reckless driving, alleging that Cure passed him at over 100 mph. After Cure repeatedly ignores commands to put his hands behind his back, the deputy fires the taser into Cure’s back, at which point Cure turns around and begins assaulting the deputy.
The two struggle, sending the taser flying. The officer then draws a collapsible baton and attempts to strike at Cure’s legs. Meanwhile, the convict gains the upper hand, forcing the deputy’s head back and repeating, “Yeah bitch,” at which point the officer draws his pistol and fires a single shot into Cure’s waist.
The video continues as backup arrives, and one man — presumably the deputy who fired the shot — can be heard sobbing in the background.
Cure was on his way to his residence after visiting his mother in South Florida, according to the Innocence Project of Florida.
We are so terribly sad to share the news that our exonerated client, Leonard Cure, was shot and killed by a Camden County Georgia Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop this morning while driving back from Florida to his residence in Georgia. pic.twitter.com/jvgZrblBD3
— Innocence Project of FL (@FLA_Innocence) October 17, 2023
“The videos show that law enforcement is transparent regarding the actions that occurred Monday morning,” the Camden County Sheriff’s Office posted to Facebook. The sheriff’s office also released body cam and dash cam footage of the incident.
In 2003, Cure was convicted of armed robbery of a drug store in Dania Beach, according to Local 10 News. After the first jury deadlocked, a second sentenced him to life in prison, per the outlet.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office’s new Conviction Review Unit asked a judge to release him from prison in 2020, according to Local 10, after the review team found there was no physical evidence or witnesses to place him at the scene. They also found Cure had valid alibis that had been disregarded, per the outlet.
The Innocence Project of Florida represented Cure in his exoneration case. Seth Miller, the group’s executive director, expressed devastation at 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, according to Local 10 News.
The deputy was placed on administrative leave while the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reviews the incident, according to the outlet.