CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. – The family of a 53-year-old man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop in October is announcing a second lawsuit Tuesday against the Georgia deputy who pulled the trigger.
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 death sparked national outrage last year following the release of dash camera video showing the incident as well as revelations that Aldridge was fired from a different Georgia police department in 2017 after throwing a woman to the ground during a traffic stop and handcuffing her.
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
Cure’s family is represented by well-known civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Henry Daniels.
In December, Cure’s family announced their plan to file a $16 million lawsuit against the Camden County Sheriff’s Office and Aldridge. On Tuesday, they will announce a federal lawsuit against Aldridge.
The Camden County NAACP will also be at the 10 a.m. news conference announcing the federal lawsuit.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating Cure’s shooting, and a spokesperson with the sheriff’s office said Aldrige is on paid leave in the meantime.
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.
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.
Cure’s family said in December that they’re devastated at losing their loved one not once, but twice.
“It was just great to have him home. And to lose them again. For the second time permanently. There are no words in the English vernacular to express how heartbreaking it is. It is it’s just so sad. And again, November 23, is his birthday. So it was a bittersweet Thanksgiving for us all,” Michael Cure, Leonard’s brother, said.
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.
“I am now a part of a group of women whose sons had been killed for literally nothing. But just being Black. How about that? How would you feel on his 53rd birthday, we were going to celebrate. Thanksgiving came and my son was not there,” Mary Cure, Leonard’s mother, said.
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.
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