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A person who spent greater than 16 years imprisoned in Florida on a wrongful conviction used to be fatally shot Monday by a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia all through a site visitors prevent, government mentioned.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is reviewing the taking pictures, recognized the person as Leonard Allen Cure, 53.
Cure, who used to be Black, used to be convicted of the 2003 armed theft of a drug retailer in Dania Beach. His conviction got here from a 2nd jury after the primary one deadlocked. Cure used to be sentenced to existence in jail as a result of he had earlier convictions for theft and different crimes.
Dashcam video of Monday’s taking pictures shows a Camden County deputy ordering Cure out of his truck after he used to be pulled over for rushing on Interstate 95 close to the Georgia-Florida line.
“Get out! Get out!,” the deputy shouts a number of occasions.
Cure will get out and says, “I ain’t doin’ s***. Who are you?” he asks the deputy.
The deputy identifies himself and then tells Cure to step to the rear of the car.
Cure says “In the name of who?”
Cure cooperated in the beginning however was violent after he used to be informed he used to be being arrested, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation news free up mentioned.
The company mentioned initial information shows that the deputy surprised Cure with a stun gun when he did not obey instructions, and Cure started assaulting the deputy.
Body cam video shows Cure along with his hand at the deputy’s decrease face and neck and forcing his head backward.
“Yeah, b****,” yeah, b****,” Cure mentioned as he driven his hand up beneath the deputy’s chin.
The deputy struck Cure within the aspect with a baton, however Cure maintained his grip. As he struggled struggling to achieve keep watch over, the officer pulled out his gun and gave the impression to hearth one shot.
“The video will show the traffic offenses of speeding over 100 mph and Reckless Driving which occurred prior to the body camera video of the Deputy’s encounter with Leonard Cure. Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor, along with District Attorney Keith Higgins of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, and GBI Agents investigating the case (decided) to make the videos available for public review in an effort to be completely transparent as to what happened, and how the incident escalated to the point of extreme Use of Force,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
Cure used to be stopped after being clocked on radar riding at 90 mph in a 70 mph zone and then accelerating to greater than 100 mph.
Cure were represented in his exoneration case by the Innocence Project of Florida. The team’s government director, Seth Miller, mentioned he used to be devastated by news of the loss of life, which he heard from Cure’s circle of relatives.
“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 mentioned.
Miller couldn’t remark particularly on Cure however mentioned he has represented dozens of other people convicted of crimes who had been later exonerated.
“Even when they’re free, they always struggled with the concern, the fear that they’ll be convicted and incarcerated again for something they didn’t do,” he mentioned.
In 2020, the Broward State Attorney’s Office new Conviction Review Unit asked a judge to release Cure from prison. Broward’s conviction evaluation workforce mentioned it discovered “troubling” revelations that Cure had cast alibis that had been prior to now pushed aside and no bodily proof or cast witnesses to position him on the scene.
An impartial evaluation panel of 5 native legal professionals concurred with the findings.
Cure used to be launched that April after his sentence used to be changed. In December 2020, a pass judgement on vacated his conviction and sentence.
In June, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a claims invoice granting Cure $817,000 in reimbursement for his conviction and imprisonment, together with tutorial advantages.
Miller mentioned Cure, who lived in a suburb of Atlanta, gained the cash in August.
Benjamin Crump, who’s now representing Cure’s circle of relatives, says the video shows an competitive deputy who will have accomplished extra to de-escalate the battle.
The sheriff has positioned the deputy on administrative depart whilst the Georgia Bureau of Investigation opinions the fatal site visitors prevent, which is standard in Georgia for shootings involving legislation enforcement officials.
The company will ship its findings to Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Keith Higgins, who will resolve whether or not to hunt fees.
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