Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
WOODBINE, GEORGIA: According to video footage released by a sheriff on Wednesday, October 18, Georgia Deputy Buck Aldridge shot a Black man at point-blank range. What is more, the victim had been recently exonerated after being wrongly imprisoned for years for a crime he did not commit.
Aldridge killed the recently freed Leonard Cure, 53, after he was pulled over on Interstate 95. Cure had served 16 years in prison after being falsely convicted of armed robbery in 2003, and was declared innocent in 2020.
Following the incident on October 16, Officer Aldridge was placed on administrative leave, the Camden County Sheriff's Office reported to ABC News.
Buck Aldridge was fired in 2017 for using 'excessive force'
Upon obtaining Aldridge's employment papers, News4JAX discovered that he had received warnings and was dismissed from law enforcement jobs in the past for incidents involving traffic stops.
Aldridge began serving as a peace officer for the Kingsland Police Department in 2012. In June 2013, an employee performance review stated that he needed to sharpen his decision-making and judgment.
"Be calm, cool, collected," read the comment below.
It has now come to light that the concerned police officer was fired from his prior position for breaking the agency's policy regarding the 'use of force' during a traffic check.
Following an incident in which he allegedly picked up a lady and tossed her to the ground during a traffic stop, Aldridge was fired from the Kingsland police department in 2017.
He finished 618 hours of training in his five years at Kingsland, including subjects like how to conduct traffic stops, use of deadly force, and de-escalation techniques. Aldridge had close to 1,000 hours of training during his tenure as a law enforcement officer.
In light of his prior department firing him for violating "use of force" policies, News4JAX investigated how Aldridge was able to secure employment as a law enforcement officer again.
Retired Jacksonville Sheriff's Office director Tom Hackney stated that he would reject applicants if they had a history of using excessive force, but he also noted that smaller departments might overlook this due to the overwhelming demand for law enforcement personnel.
Tense altercation erupted between Buck Aldridge and Leonard Cure
The police vehicle was passed by the truck Cure was driving, as shown by the dashboard camera footage.
Cure appears to switch on his right signal as the police car pulls into the lane behind his truck, but the footage reveals that he takes it off when the cars in front of him to move into the right lane too.
The two cars finally shift to the right side of the road as the officer activates his sirens.
Bodycam footage captured a heated dispute between the two men following Aldridge's accusation that Cure was speeding.
Cure's refusal to place his hands on his car caused the situation to worsen, and Aldridge had to use his taser.
The two got into a physical struggle after that, fighting until Aldridge was able to subdue Cure, who continued resisting arrest.
After Aldridge shot Cure while he was on the ground, the video shows how he tried to revive him until emergency personnel could get to the scene.
Cure's death has rekindled discussions about police brutality in the United States.
However, controversial conservative reporter, Andy Ngo, called out Cure, posting the dashcam footage to show how Cure apparently "choked" Aldridge during the altercation.
Cure suffered from mental strain from his years in jail, and his family claimed that Aldridge was excessively aggressive from the beginning which "triggered" Cure, said Ben Crump, an attorney representing Cure's family.
Criminologist Alex del Carmen, who saw the video on News4JAX, stated that the incident had context because of the deputy's prior history of using force.
"The sergeant is thinking probably that the individual suspect is not compliant with his verbal commands and as a result of that he has to use force. I’m not sure that that’s entirely true," del Carmen remarked.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations is looking into this incident. The results are to be reviewed by the District Attorney's Office for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit.
