Leonard Cure shot, killed by Georgia sheriff's deputy; attorney Ben Crump representing his family
MIAMI -- A prominent civil rights attorney has been hired to represent the family of a man who was fatally shot this week by a Georgia deputy following his release from a Florida prison on a wrongful conviction.
Attorney Ben Crump and other officials are scheduled to speak to reporters Wednesday in Camden County during an afternoon news conference about the death of Leonard Allen Cure, according to a news release.
Cure, 53, was shot and killed Monday by a sheriff's deputy in Georgia during a traffic stop, authorities and representatives said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the shooting. Officials did not immediately identify the Camden County deputy involved in the incident..
Seth Miller, executive director of the Innocence Project of Florida, which worked with Cure on his wrongful conviction case, confirmed Cure's death.
"We're devastated by the news of his tragic death, and we don't have any further comment at this time," Miller told the newspaper.
Traffic stop preceded fatal shooting
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a Camden County deputy pulled over a driver along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida line and the driver got out of the car at the deputy's request. He cooperated at first but became violent after he was told he was being arrested, a GBI news release said.
The agency said preliminary information shows the deputy shocked the driver with a stun gun when he failed to obey commands, and the driver then began assaulting the deputy. The GBI said the deputy again tried using the stun gun and a baton to subdue him, then drew his gun and shot the driver when he continued to resist.
The agency didn't say what prompted the deputy to pull over Cure's vehicle.
It is customary for Georgia law enforcement agencies to ask the GBI to investigate shootings involving officers. The agency said it will submit its findings to the district attorney for the coastal Brunswick Judicial Circuit, which includes Camden County.
Robbery of Broward store led to Leonard Cure prison stay
Cure was convicted of the 2003 armed robbery of a drug store in Florida's Dania Beach and sentenced to life in prison because he had previous convictions for robbery and other crimes.
But the case had issues from the start and his conviction came from a second jury after the first one deadlocked.
In 2020, the Broward State Attorney's Office new Conviction Review Unit asked a judge to release Cure from prison. Broward's conviction review team said it found "troubling" revelations that Cure had solid alibis that were previously disregarded and no physical evidence or solid witnesses to put him at the scene. An independent review panel of five local lawyers concurred with the findings.
Cure was released that April after his sentenced was modified. That December, a judge vacated his conviction and sentence.
"I'm looking forward to putting this situation behind me and moving on with my life," Cure told the Sun Sentinel at the time.
In June, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a claims bill granting Cure $817,000 in compensation for his conviction and imprisonment along with educational benefits.
"The Leonard we knew was a smart, funny and kind person," Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said in a statement to the paper Monday evening. "After he was freed and exonerated by our office, he visited prosecutors at our office and participated in training to help our staff do their jobs in the fairest and most thorough way possible. He would frequently call to check in on Assistant State Attorney Arielle Demby Berger, the head of the Conviction Review Unit, and offer our team encouragement to continue to do the important work of justice."
Georgia traffic stop now under scrutiny
According to a news release, Cure's shooting is the 80th officer-involved shooting that the GBI has investigated this yeara.
It was not immediately clear if Crump plans legal action in the case.
Cure was planning on pursuing a college degree and spoke on college campus about the time he spent in the Florida prison system, according to the law firm's news release.
