A Georgia sheriff’s officer fatally shot Leonard Allen Cure, a Black man who had been unlawfully imprisoned in Florida for more than 16 years, during a traffic stop.
The incident, which took place during a traffic check on Interstate 95 close to the Georgia-Florida border, is now being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Initially cooperative, Cure turned violent when informed of his arrest, according to the GBI.
The deputy used a stun gun and a baton to subdue him, but eventually shot Cure when he continued to resist arrest.
The GBI did not specify the reason for the traffic stop. Cure’s wrongful conviction in 2003 for the armed robbery of a Florida drug store was based on a second jury’s decision, leading to a life sentence due to prior convictions.
In 2020, Broward State Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Review Unit found alibi evidence disregarded during his trial.
A judge vacated his conviction in December 2020, and he received $817,000 in compensation from Florida’s governor in August.
Cure was known for his kindness and involvement in justice reform initiatives following his exoneratio.
