No charges for GA deputy in fatal traffic stop

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A Georgia sheriff’s deputy has been cleared of criminal charges after fatally shooting a Black man during a traffic stop that escalated into a violent altercation, according to a district attorney’s review of the body camera footage and other evidence. The incident occurred three years after Leonard Cure, a 53-year-old man, was released from a Florida prison where he spent 16 years wrongfully convicted for a crime he did not commit.

Cure was pulled over by a white deputy, Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge, for speeding along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida border on October 16, 2023. The encounter quickly turned turbulent when Cure refused to comply with orders to put his hands behind his back, leading the deputy to use a stun gun. Video evidence showed Cure engaging in a physical struggle, placing a hand on the deputy’s throat, prompting the fatal shooting.

District Attorney Keith Higgins justified the use of deadly force, stating it was “objectively reasonable” under the circumstances as the deputy was being overpowered. Higgins communicated his decision to Cure’s family and notified Aldridge during a meeting. However, Cure’s family attorneys have condemned the decision, accusing the deputy of using excessive force and criticizing the lack of accountability.

Aldridge remains employed with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office in an administrative role. He was temporarily placed on leave during the investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. His attorney, Adrienne Browning, previously defended Aldridge’s actions as self-defense.

Family members have suggested that Cure’s response during the traffic stop might have been influenced by psychological trauma from his wrongful imprisonment in Florida. Cure, exonerated and released in 2020, was returning to Atlanta after visiting his mother in Port St. Lucie when he was stopped.

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office released footage from the deputy’s body and dash cameras showing the sequence of events. Following the repeated refusal to comply with the deputy’s commands, a physical struggle ensued, captured in the video. Cure can be seen holding onto the deputy’s head and neck before the shooting.

The family’s lawyers have criticized the sheriff’s office for having hired Aldridge despite his previous history of using excessive force, leading to his termination from the Kingsland Police Department in 2017. They had filed a federal lawsuit seeking $16 million against Aldridge and the former sheriff, claiming that the deputy had a record of violence that was ignored. The lawsuit is ongoing in federal court.