MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Georgia deputy will not face charges after shooting and killing a South Florida man during a traffic stop.
Leonard Cure was killed three years after he was freed from a Florida prison where he served 16 years for a crime he did not commit.
Michael Cure is Leonard’s brother.
“Heart wrenching, heartbreaking because there was so much promise and all I could think is for 17 years Florida took him from us,” he said. “But now Georgia has put a nail in the actual coffin.”
Cure says its insult to injury.
“I personally remained a bit optimistic,” he said of the investigation into the shooting.
Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge claimed he pulled over Leonard Cure on Interstate 95 near the Florida-Georgia border for speeding.
The South Florida man was defiant and started questioning the officer.
Michael Cure says his 53-year-old brother was just starting to rebuild his life after being exonerated.
“His hands were on his truck, this guy still tased him,” he said. “That would send anyone into a frenzy.”
Tuesday the Georgia DA investigating the officer shooting revealed his final decision, saying, “use of deadly force at that point was objectively reasonable.”
“Personally I don’t believe he cared,” said Cure.
The victim’s loved ones point to the deputy’s record.
Aldrige had been reportedly fired from his previous job as a peace officer with another police department, where he had issues and was accused of unnecessary force during a traffic stop.
“And hence here we are today,” said Cure.
Celebrity Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Cure family, said in a statement the DA’s decision sends a message that officers can take life without consequence, adding he will be taking further legal action against the Georgia deputy.