Both dashboard and body camera footage has been released by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office in the fatal police shooting of 53-year-old Leonard Allan Cure.
Leonard Allan Cure, who had previously spent 16 years in prison due to a wrongful conviction of armed robbery in 2003, was shot by Deputy Buck Aldridge. The sheriff’s office confirmed Aldridge’s administrative leave following the incident. This decision to release the videos stems from an objective to maintain transparency regarding the chain of events leading to the extreme use of force.
The official account claims Cure was flagged for speeding and reckless driving, a claim grounded on events preceding the footage. The dashboard camera depicts Cure’s truck passing the police vehicle, signaling right, and then turning it off. The officer activated his sirens, leading both vehicles to the right side of the road.
Body camera footage reveals the subsequent tense exchange. As Aldridge commands Cure to step out, the situation escalates quickly. Despite Cure complying to some extent, confusion and disagreements ensue, particularly over the officer’s identity and the exact nature of the traffic offense.
Cure’s questioning of the arrest led Aldridge to clarify that in Georgia, speeding tickets are criminal offenses. The conversation became more heated, culminating in Aldridge using his stun gun. The situation escalated further into a physical altercation. As the two grappled, Cure overpowered Aldridge momentarily, prompting the officer to fire his gun.
Subsequent footage shows a wounded Cure on the ground. Although Aldridge attempts to provide medical assistance once reinforcements arrive, the life ebbs from Cure on the roadside.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations has taken up the case, with its conclusions to be submitted to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
However, the incident’s aftermath extends beyond legal inquiries. Cure was returning from a visit to his mother in south Florida. Michael Cure, his brother, vocalized the family’s grief, emphasizing Leonard’s forgiveness despite his wrongful incarceration. The emotional toll of the tragedy was evident in his remarks about the persistent fears Black men face.
This tragic event is underscored by Cure’s past with the justice system. The Innocence Project facilitated Cure’s exoneration in 2020, revealing that a misleading identification process and newfound evidence, a receipt confirming his alibi, had kept an innocent man imprisoned. His release was recent; he had just secured compensation from the Florida Legislature amounting to $817,000. He harbored dreams of college, aspirations in music and radio production, and was even in the midst of buying a home.
His mother, Mary Cure, poignantly remarked, “From the time that he was released, he was never set free.” Her words encapsulate the ongoing fear for her son’s safety, a sentiment now heartbreakingly validated.
