A Georgia sheriff's deputy will not face criminal charges for the fatal shooting of Leonard Cure, a Black man, during a violent traffic stop in 2023. District Attorney Keith Higgins made the announcement, despite Cure being exonerated and released from a 16-year wrongful imprisonment just three years before the incident. "Use of deadly force at that point was objectively reasonable given that he was being overpowered at that time," Higgins stated, as reported by CBS News.
The incident began when Camden County Sheriff's Office Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge, a White deputy, stopped Cure for speeding on Interstate 95. The situation escalated when Aldridge tried to detain Cure, who resisted, leading to a struggle. Body and dash camera footage show Cure fighting back and grabbing Aldridge by the throat before being shot at point-blank range, as confirmed by NBC Miami. Despite this, Higgins ruled that the deputy's response was justified.
The DA's decision has drawn criticism, with attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, representing Cure's family, condemning it. "This decision is a devastating failure of justice, sending the message that law enforcement officers can take a life without consequence," they said in a statement obtained by CBS News. Aldridge, still employed by the sheriff's office in an administrative role, had been previously dismissed from the Kingsland Police Department for using excessive force. This detail is being used by Cure's family in a pending $16 million federal lawsuit against Aldridge and former Sheriff Jim Proctor.
Cure had been trying to rebuild his life after being exonerated by the Broward State Attorney's Office in Fort Lauderdale. He had purchased his first home in Georgia. Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor remembered Cure as a smart, funny, and kind person. Cure's wrongful conviction had caused him psychological trauma, which attorneys believe may have influenced his resistance during the traffic stop, according to NBC Miami.
