A Georgia prosecutor has decided not to file charges against a deputy who fatally shot a man during a traffic stop. The district attorney, Keith Higgins of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, stated that Camden County sheriff’s Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge acted within his rights when he opened fire on Leonard Allen Cure, 53, during the stop on the side of I-95 on October 16, 2023.
“Use of deadly force was objectively reasonable at that moment, as he was being overpowered,” Higgins explained in a phone interview.
However, Cure’s attorneys have expressed strong opposition to the decision. In a statement on behalf of Cure’s family, attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels criticized the ruling, calling it a “devastating failure of justice” and asserting that it sends a dangerous message that law enforcement officers can take a life without consequences. “Leonard Cure was a man who fought so hard to reclaim his life after a wrongful conviction, only to have it stolen from him again,” they said. “His family will not stop fighting for accountability, and neither will we.”
The incident, which was captured on body camera footage, began with Aldridge ordering Cure to exit his truck and place his hands on the vehicle. Aldridge then instructed Cure to put his hands behind his back, but Cure repeatedly refused. As Cure leaned forward against the truck, facing away from Aldridge, he pointed his hands toward the sky, prompting Aldridge to use a Taser on him. Cure then turned around and engaged in a physical struggle with the officer. During the altercation, Cure uttered the words, “Yeah, b—-.”
The shooting occurred between 2:15 and 2:25 of the body camera footage (warning: the video is disturbing).
In response to the incident, Cure’s family has filed a federal lawsuit against Aldridge and Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor. They argue that Aldridge, who had a history of misconduct as a law enforcement officer, escalated the situation unnecessarily. The lawsuit claims that Aldridge’s decision to use a Taser on Cure was unlawful.
Aldridge had been dismissed from the Kingsland Police Department on August 30, 2017, after he was involved in an incident where he threw a woman during a traffic stop.
Cure had spent 16 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a 2003 armed robbery in Florida, until prosecutors overturned his conviction due to evidence showing that he was miles away from the crime scene at the time.
Crump and Daniels stated that this case is not just about seeking justice for Cure’s family, but for all families affected by police violence and the lack of accountability. “We will not let this grave injustice be forgotten,” they vowed. “We will continue to demand accountability for the flaws in policing in this country.”
