By Jovonne Ledet
Body camera footage shows the moments before a Georgia sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a Black man who spent over 16 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
The Camden County Sheriff’s Office released the footage of Monday’s (October 16) fatal traffic stop involving an unidentified deputy and 53-year-old Leonard Cure, per the New York Post.
A deputy pulled Cure over for allegedly “doing 100 miles an hour” on Interstate 95, according to the footage. After Cure pulled his vehicle over to the side of the highway, the deputy ordered him to get out of his truck.
“Get out! Put your hands back here,” the officer said.
“I didn’t do s–t,” Cure responded as the officer attempted to grab his arms.
Cure eventually followed the officers orders and placed his hands on the rear of his vehicle. The deputy then instructed him to put his hands behind his back.
The man asked if there was a warrant out for his arrest.
“Either put your hands behind your back ’cause you’re getting tased, I’m telling you that right now,” the officer told Cure. “Why? Why am I getting tased?” Cure asked.
“‘Cause you are under arrest for speeding and reckless driving,” the deputy said. “OK, so that’s a speeding ticket, right?” Cure asked.
“Sir, tickets in the state of Georgia are criminal offenses,” the officer responded.
Cure then said he’s not going to jail.
“Hands behind your back. Yes, you’re going to jail,” the deputy said before tasing Cure in the back. An altercation then ensued between the officer and Cure. The deputy shot Cure in close range, yelling “stay down.”
Cure was initially convicted in 2003 of an armed robbery in Florida that he didn’t commit. He was sentenced to life in prison but was released in April 2020 following the modification of his sentence.
In the following months, Cure was exonerated after an ATM receipt proved that he was “miles away from the crime scene at the time of the robbery.”
“Based on these findings, the State of Florida recognized that Lenny was actually innocent and moved for his release and exoneration,” The Innocence Project of Florida said. “Most meaningful was that the State of Florida apologized to him for wrongfully taking his liberty.”
The Innocence Project of Florida’s executive director, Seth Miller, mourned 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.
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