A man who spent 16 years in jail on a wrongful conviction was shot by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop in Kingsland, Georgia, ABC News reported Monday.
The individual, identified as 53-year-old Leonard Allen Cure, had spent 16 years in jail after being wrongfully convicted of armed robbery in 2003. Cure was exonerated in December 2020 following a collaborative reinvestigation by the Innocence Project and the Conviction Review Unit of the Broward County State Attorney’s Office in Florida, according to ABC News.
A deputy stopped Cure for speeding at around 7:30 a.m. Monday. The situation reportedly escalated when Cure allegedly “assaulted” the deputy after being placed under arrest. Cure allegedly did not comply after the deputy used a stun gun and baton on him, ABC reported, citing the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).
“The deputy pulled out his gun and shot Cure,” the GBI said in a statement cited by the outlet. Cure succumbed to his injuries despite receiving medical treatment at the scene, according to the outlet.
No officers were injured as a result of the incident, ABC reported. (RELATED: Man Released From Jail After 32 Years For Murder He Didn’t Commit)
We are so terribly sad to share the news that our exonerated client, Leonard Cure, was shot and killed by a Camden County Georgia Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop this morning while driving back from Florida to his residence in Georgia. pic.twitter.com/jvgZrblBD3
— Innocence Project of FL (@FLA_Innocence) October 17, 2023
The fatal traffic stop reportedly took place as Cure was on his way home from visiting his mother in south Florida. The GBI is currently examining the incident, with findings to be submitted to the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review, according to the outlet.
“The Leonard we knew was a smart, funny and kind person,” the Broward County State Attorney’s Office said in a statement cited by ABC.
Recently awarded $817,000 in compensation for his wrongful conviction by the Florida Legislature, Cure was planning on attending college for music or radio production and was in the process of buying a home, the report says.