In a recent development in Georgia, a sheriff’s deputy involved in the shooting death of a Black man, Leonard Cure, during a traffic stop in 2023, will not face criminal charges. This decision was announced by the district attorney after a thorough review of body camera footage and other pieces of evidence.
Leonard Cure, aged 53, was tragically killed just a few years after being released from a 16-year wrongful incarceration in Florida. The incident unfolded on October 16, 2023, when a white deputy from Camden County, Georgia, pulled over Cure on Interstate 95 near the Florida border for a speeding violation.
During the stop, the deputy instructed Cure to exit his vehicle and subsequently used a stun gun on him after Cure refused to comply with orders to put his hands behind his back. The footage from both body and dash cameras revealed a violent altercation, where Cure was seen resisting and placing his hands on the deputy’s throat. It was at this point that the deputy shot Cure at close range.
District Attorney Keith Higgins explained that the deputy’s use of deadly force was deemed “objectively reasonable” as he was allegedly being overpowered during the altercation. Higgins, who oversees the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, communicated the decision to Cure’s family and also informed the deputy involved, Sgt. Buck Aldridge.
The family’s legal representatives, however, criticized this exoneration of the deputy, arguing that Aldridge had used excessive force. Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, the attorneys, issued a statement condemning the decision, calling it a failure of justice and implying that it sets a dangerous precedent for law enforcement accountability.
Deputy Dalton Vernakes, representing Camden County Sheriff James Kevin Chaney, confirmed that despite the investigation, Aldridge remains employed by the sheriff’s office. The investigation had placed Aldridge on administrative leave, but it is currently unclear if he has returned to his usual duties.
An attorney for Aldridge, Adrienne Browning, has not responded to requests for comments on the matter. Meanwhile, Cure’s relatives have suggested that his resistance during the traffic stop could be attributed to the psychological trauma from his wrongful imprisonment in Florida for an armed robbery, which was eventually overturned, leading to his release in 2020.
The details of the fateful traffic stop unveiled by the sheriff’s office included body and dash camera videos released two days post-shooting. These videos documented the deputy’s directives to Cure, indicating he was speeding above 100 mph. The footage then captured Cure responding to the stun gun by actively resisting, which escalated to him grappling with the deputy and applying pressure on the deputy’s head and neck.
Further complicating the case, it has come to light that Aldridge had a controversial past. He was dismissed from the Kingsland Police Department in 2017 for excessive force incidents but was hired by the Camden County sheriff’s office less than a year afterward. Amid these controversies, Cure’s family had already pursued legal action against Aldridge and the former sheriff, Jim Proctor, by filing a $16 million federal lawsuit. The case accuses Aldridge of excessive force and critiques the sheriff’s office for neglecting his history of violence, with both parties denying any misconduct. The lawsuit is still ongoing in the U.S. District Court.
