Leonard Allan Cure, a Black man who had spent over 16 years wrongfully imprisoned in Florida, lost his life on Oct. 16 during a traffic stop on his way home from visiting his mother. The incident has ignited a wave of protests as the circumstances surrounding his death and raises concerns about the use of force by law enforcement against Black people.

Cure, 53, was wrongfully convicted and spent over 16 years imprisoned for a crime it was later found he did not commit. After a long fight for justice, he finally secured his release three years ago in April 2020.

“He came home and I was over the moon because I thought that he was finally free,” Cure’s mother, Mary, told reporters at a news conference. “My baby was free. But the truth of the matter is that he never came home.”

Cure received $817,000 in compensation for his conviction and imprisonment, or roughly $50,000 for each year taken from his life, CNN reported.

This latest interaction with law enforcement proved lethal. As Cure, who was working as a security guard, was traveling home through Camden County, near the Florida border, he was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy. In the just-released dash cam footage from the police car you can see and hear Cure being told to exit the vehicle, which he did. When he was told he was speeding, he replied that the infraction should mean a speeding ticket, but Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge wanted to handcuff Cure instead.

“You passed me going 100 miles per hour,” the deputy says. He added that in Georgia, tickets are considered criminal offenses.

“I’m not going to jail,” Cure said at one point. The deputy answered, “Yes, you are going to jail.”

That’s when things took a tragic turn.

The two physically struggle for about 30 seconds, during which Cure grabs the deputy’s throat and face. The deputy hits Cure multiple times with a baton. Then, the deputy appears to fire his weapon. Cure falls to the ground.

The deputy is heard saying, “Camden, shots fired,” into his radio. Cure can be seen sitting up and flailing his arms. The deputy unpacked a first-aid kit and appeared to begin administering aid until paramedics took over. Cure died soon after.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is now conducting an independent probe into the fatal shooting.

When Aldridge grabs Cure’s arm, Cure pulls away. Aldridge threatens to use his Taser if Cure fails to comply. Aldridge informs Cure that he is being arrested for speeding and reckless driving. As Cure disagrees and raises his left arm, Aldridge deploys his Taser, hitting Cure in the back.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Cure’s family, emphasized that one’s race should never determine whether a traffic stop leads to a fatal outcome.

“He is someone who was failed by the system once, and he has again been failed by the system,” Miller said, referring to Cure, NPR reported. “He’s been twice taken away from his family.”

Dash cam footage of Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge detaining Leonard Cure, screenshot via CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/18/us/leonard-cure-exonerated-deputy-shooting/index.html