CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – Well-known civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Henry Daniels will announce Tuesday the basis of a lawsuit against a Camden County deputy who fatally shot a 53-year-old man during a traffic stop in October.
Camden County Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge fatally shot Leonard Cure, who had spent more than 16 years in prison in Florida before being exonerated in a 2003 robbery.
Cure’s family will also be at the 3 p.m. news conference at the Camden County Courthouse.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an investigation into Cure’s shooting.
According to investigators, Cure was pulled over for speeding, and video from the Oct. 16 encounter shows an intense interaction between the two men before Aldridge fired a taser and Cure lunged at Aldridge.
WATCH: Video of violent Camden County traffic stop (Viewer discretion is strongly advised)
The two men wrestled before Aldridge pulled out his gun and fatally shot Cure.
RELATED: Dash cam video shows deadly encounter between Camden County Sheriff’s Office deputy, exonerated man during traffic stop | Retired JSO officer says Camden County deputy could have handled traffic stop differently to produce another outcome
The Camden County District Attorney’s Office is waiting for GBI to submit its findings before making a final decision about the use of force.
News4JAX obtained Aldridge’s personnel files, which showed Aldridge was fired and given warnings in previous years working for law enforcement. Both involved traffic stops.
RELATED: VIDEO: GBI investigating 2022 traffic stop arrest involving deputy who shot exonerated Florida man | Georgia deputy who shot exonerated Florida man was fired in 2017 for using unnecessary force during traffic stop
The 41-year-old deputy worked for the Kingsland Police Department for five years before he was fired in 2017 after he threw a woman to the ground during a traffic stop and handcuffed her. The agency said the encounter violated its use of force policy.
Aldridge was hired by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office in May 2018.
Since being freed three years ago, Cure worked a security job, planned on pursuing a college degree and frequently spoke at colleges about his experience of being wrongfully convicted.
Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
