PebHmong Discussion Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: theking on October 17, 2023, 02:10:02 PM
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‘Devastated’: Exonerated Broward man imprisoned for 16 years killed by Georgia deputy
An exonerated man who spent over 16 years behind bars after being wrongfully convicted of a violent crime in Broward County was shot and killed by a Georgia deputy during a traffic stop Monday morning, authorities said.
Leonard Allan Cure, 53, was the first person to be exonerated by the Conviction Review Unit of the Broward State Attorney’s Office. Now, he’s being mourned by those who helped him get out of prison.
Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said Monday in a statement he was devastated after hearing the news.
“The Leonard we knew was a smart, funny and kind person,” Pryor said. “After he was freed and exonerated by our office, he visited prosecutors at our office and participated in training to help our staff do their jobs in the fairest and most thorough way possible.”
At about 7:30 a.m., a Camden County deputy stopped Cure as he was driving on Interstate 95, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. Cure complied with the officer’s commands, including getting out of the car, the Georgia state agency noted, until police told him he was under arrest.
“After not complying with the deputy’s requests, the deputy tased Cure,” the GBI said.
Police say Cure then “assaulted” the deputy, who subsequently “used the Taser for a second time and an ASP baton.”
“However, Cure still did not comply,” the GBI said. “The deputy pulled out his gun and shot Cure.”
According to the GBI, paramedics treated Cure, but he later died. Authorities haven’t said what prompted police to stop Cure nor why he was being arrested in the first place. The state agency is investigating.
Pryor said Cure was working toward buying a house and going to college, something that he will never get to do.
“He had been working a job in security, he was hoping to go to college and wanted to work in broadcast radio production, he was buying his first home,” Pryor said.
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I want to see the cop vid... Why was he being arrested for? Maybe cops have a vendetta against him because he was set free...
The irony of this case... he was safer in jail than being a free man.
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Dash cam video shows what led to shooting of exonerated Florida man in Camden County
KINGSLAND, Ga. - The Camden County Sheriff's Office has released the dash camera and body camera video related to the death of 53-year-old Leonard Allan Cure.
Cure was pulled over by a Camden County deputy as he drove along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida line on Monday.
The deputy could be heard shouting orders to Cure.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says that Cure initially complied with the deputy.
"Put your hands behind your back, or you are getting tased," the deputy yelled.
"Why am I getting tased?" Cure could be heard asking.
The deputy told him he was under arrest for speeding and reckless driving at 100 mph. The video appears to show Cure freeze before turning around and wrestling with the deputy. The official used a stun gun and baton before ultimately shooting Cure.
Sheriff Jim Proctor and District Attorney Keith Higgins of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit made the decision along with the GBI to release the video to show how the "incident escalated to the point of extreme Use of Force."
Cure's brother Michael said he is outraged.
"He did not deserve to die," he said during the press conference. "It’s so unfortunate that I, along with my family, have to stand before you today in this unfortunate club that these officers create for us."
The deputy remains on administrative leave pending an investigation being performed by the Camden County district attorney and GBI.
Who is Leonard Allan Cure?
A Black man who spent more than 16 years imprisoned in Florida on a wrongful conviction was fatally shot Monday by a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia during a traffic stop, authorities said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is reviewing the shooting, identified the man as Leonard Allen Cure, 53.
Cure had been represented in his exoneration case by the Innocence Project of Florida. The group’s executive director, Seth Miller, said he was devastated by news of the death, which he heard from Cure’s family.
"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 said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a Camden County deputy pulled over Cure as he drove along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida line. He got out of the car at the deputy’s request and cooperated at first but became violent after he was told he was being arrested, a GBI news release said.
The agency said preliminary information shows the deputy shocked Cure with a stun gun when he failed to obey commands, and Cure began assaulting the deputy. The GBI said the deputy again tried using the stun gun and a baton to subdue him, then drew his gun and shot Cure when he continued to resist.
The agency didn’t say what prompted the deputy to pull over Cure’s vehicle.
It is customary for Georgia law enforcement agencies to ask the GBI to investigate shootings involving officers. The agency said it will submit its findings to the district attorney for the coastal Brunswick Judicial Circuit, which includes Camden County.
Miller couldn’t comment specifically on Cure but said he has represented dozens of people convicted of crimes who were 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 said.
Cure was convicted of the 2003 armed robbery of a drug store in Florida’s Dania Beach. His conviction came from a second jury after the first one deadlocked. Cure was sentenced to life in prison because he had previous convictions for robbery and other crimes.
In 2020, the Broward State Attorney’s Office new Conviction Review Unit asked a judge to release Cure from prison. Broward’s conviction review team said it found "troubling" revelations that Cure had solid alibis that were previously disregarded and no physical evidence or solid witnesses to put him at the scene.
An independent review panel of five local lawyers concurred with the findings.
Cure was released that April after his sentenced was modified. In December 2020, a judge vacated his conviction and sentence.
"I’m looking forward to putting this situation behind me and moving on with my life," Cure told the South Florida Sun Sentinel at the time.
In June, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a claims bill granting Cure $817,000 in compensation for his conviction and imprisonment, along with educational benefits.
Miller said Cure, who lived in a suburb of Atlanta, received the money in August.
Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor described Cure as smart, funny and kind.
"After he was freed and exonerated by our office, he visited prosecutors at our office and participated in training to help our staff do their jobs in the fairest and most thorough way possible," Pryor said in a statement to the Sun Sentinel.
Cure would frequently call to check in on Assistant State Attorney Arielle Demby Berger, the head of the Conviction Review Unit, and offer encouragement to continue to do "the important work of justice," Pryor said.
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Who's at fault? The karen driver or the Sheriff? Just let driver die by car accident. That'll save us from being bullied by Karens. But no they want to save their own kind. :2funny:
https://youtu.be/FCopTEj6yFU
What if the driver is black or asian and he doesn't comply with the Sheriffs I'm sure they'll shoot him because they don't tolerate a minority's excuses.