Black Man, Wrongfully Imprisoned For 16 Years, Shot Dead By Police In Florida

A Black man who spent 16 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a violent crime was shot and killed by police in Georgia on Monday, CBS News reported. The incident happened when the officer pulled over Leonard Allan Cure, 53, on Monday morning along Interstate 95 in Camden County near the Florida border. He cooperated at first but became violent after he was told he was being arrested, according to a statement issued by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 

A spokesman for the Camden County Sheriff's Office told The New York Times that Mr Cure was pulled over for speeding. He had only been out of prison for three and a half years following his exoneration when the tragic incident happened. 

''The driver of the car, later identified as Leonard Allan Cure, age 53, got out of the car at the deputy's request. Cure complied with the officer's commands until he learned that he was under arrest. After not complying with the deputy's requests, the deputy tased Cure. Cure assaulted the deputy. The deputy used the Taser for a second time and an ASP baton; however, Cure still did not comply. The deputy pulled out his gun and shot Cure. EMT's treated Cure, but he later died,'' the police statement read. 

Notably, Mr Cure was wrongfully convicted in 2003 of armed robbery, according to the criminal justice organization Innocence Project. In a reinvestigation of the crime, evidence of an ATM receipt emerged proving that ''Lenny was miles away from the crime scene at the time of the robbery.''

He was released from prison in Florida in 2020 after a conviction review unit exonerated him. In June, he was granted $817,000 in compensation for his conviction and imprisonment, along with educational benefits. 

The group's executive director, Seth Miller, said he was devastated by news of the death. 

''I can only imagine what it's like to know your son is innocent and watch him be sentenced to life in prison, to be exonerated and ... then be told that once he's been freed, he's been shot dead. I can't imagine as a parent what that feels like,'' Mr Miller said.

'''We are so terribly sad to share the news that Leonard was shot and killed by a Camden County Georgia Sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop on October 16th, 2023 while driving back from Florida to his residence in Georgia. Lenny was a great person who had already lost 16 years of his life to wrongful incarceration. And now this. He and his family deserved better. Lenny's life mattered. We are completely devastated,'' a statement on Innocence Project read.