Video Shows Wrongfully Convicted Man Struggled with Deputy Before Fatal Shooting, Family Blames ‘Psychological Trauma’

The family of Leonard Cure, a man fatally shot by Georgia law enforcement, seemed to blame mental illness after Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor released videos showing the moments that preceded the fatal police shooting on October 16. Cure was once wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for over 16 years before he was released in 2020.

Cure was allegedly driving in excess of 100 miles per hour when he passed a Camden County deputy. Video released by the sheriff’s office shows Cure did not immediately pull over his vehicle after the deputy activated his vehicle’s lights but instead continued driving to pass other traffic before pulling over to the highway’s shoulder.

After both vehicles stopped, the video shows the deputy ordered Cure to exit his truck and then ordered him to place his hands on the vehicle. Cure appeared to tell the deputy, “I ain’t doing sh**,” before he seemed to swat the deputy’s hands away. Cure eventually walked to the back of his truck and followed the deputy’s instructions to place his hands on the vehicle. The video indicates Cure seemed to stop following the deputy’s orders when it became clear he would be arrested.

At the rear of the vehicle, Cure questioned the deputy about why he was stopped and suggested he should be issued a speeding ticket, even as the deputy explained that speeding was a criminal offense in Georgia and that Cure was going to jail.

The deputy repeatedly ordered Cure to place his hands behind his back, under threat of being tased. Cure eventually gestured his hand toward the air, which seemed to prompt the deputy to fire his Taser. Cure soon turned and began moving toward the deputy while wildly gesturing his arms as if trying to free himself of the Taser’s wire.

The video shows a struggle ensued between the men after Cure closed the distance, and the deputy’s body camera was largely blocked by Cure. The dashboard video captured in the deputy’s vehicle reveals both men were quickly at each other’s throats. As Cure pushed the deputy’s head back, he seemed to shout, “yeah, b****.”

Amid the struggle, the deputy first deployed his baton and struck Cure before drawing his pistol. The video captured a muffled pop, and then Cure fell to the ground and began flailing.

“Shots fired, suspect down,” the deputy said into his radio, adding, “Send help.”

An armored van was first to arrive, and the private security seemed to support the officer until police reached the scene. Police backup was followed by emergency medical technicians, who the Georgia Bureau of Information (GBI) notes attempted to provide life-saving care. Cure later died from the injury.

Cure’s relatives blamed mental illness or psychological trauma sustained during his incarceration for his death. Brother Michael Cure indicated his brother “possibly” had undiagnosed “mental issues,” according to The Associated Press, and claimed the deputy “just triggered him, undoubtedly triggered him,” calling their exchange “excitement met with excitement.”

Michael Cure acknowledged that “[t]he officer hit him with his baton and he tased him, twice as a matter of fact,” but insisted, “he did not have to shoot him.”

Cure’s family has retained Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney who successfully represented the family of George Floyd in legal actions that netted millions. Crump, who has been accused of profiteering off heightened racial tensions, alleged the deputy is responsible for Cure’s death because he failed to “de-escalate the conflict” and was “acting aggressively from the start,” according to NBC News. The deputy has not been named, and the district attorney has not determined whether he will be charged.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Georgia Star News and a reporter for the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].