Georgia deputy fatally shoots 'kind' man who served 16 years for wrongful conviction

A man fatally shot by Georgia police during a traffic stop had previously served 16 years in prison after a wrongful conviction.

A Camden County deputy pulled 53-year-old Leonard Allan Cure over at about 7:30 a.m. Monday on Interstate 95, according to a statement issued by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The bureau says that Cure got out of his car upon the deputy's request and otherwise complied until he learned he would be arrested.

"After not complying with the deputy's requests," the deputy stunned him with a Taser. After that, "Cure assaulted the deputy," who used a baton and again a Taser on Cure, the bureau said.

"Cure still did not comply. The deputy pulled out his gun and shot Cure," the bureau said.

Paramedics treated Cure at the scene but he later died. The deputy was not injured.

'A nightmare':Man who nearly got death penalty for murder he didn't commit is declared innocent

Why was Leonard Allan Cure pulled over?

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation told USA TODAY on Tuesday that the deputy pulled Cure over for reckless driving and speeding.

The Camden County Sheriff's Office told USA TODAY that Cure was speeding at 90-plus mph.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the sheriff's office condemned the news media and community rumors for "providing the public with misinformation."

"It is common for rumors to occur, but blatant false information by some media representatives should not be tolerated," said the post, which did not specify what rumors or misinformation might be spreading.

The sheriff's office turned off comments on the post.

Leonard Allan Cure's wrongful conviction

Cure was arrested on Nov. 20, 2003 in Florida on charges of robbery with a firearm and assault with a firearm, according to the Florida Innocence Project.

His arrest stemmed from the robbery of Walgreen's in Dania Beach after one of the victims picked him out of a line-up. The jury in his first trial was deadlocked, but a second jury found Cure guilty.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 2004. In 2020, the Broward State Attorney’s Office's Conviction Review Unit asked a judge for his release, the Sun Sentinel reported.

A judge vacated Cure's convictions in 2020, exonerating him and ordering his release from prison after 16 years.

The Florida Innocence Project said that eyewitness misidentification, official misconduct and ineffective legal counsel contributed to his conviction. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a claims bill in June that awarded Cure $817,000 in compensation for the wrongful imprisonment.

More:Conviction review units have led to exonerations in Florida, New York, other states. Here's what they do.

More:A real life Training Day: A corrupt cop lead to nearly 200 wrongful convictions

Reaction to Leonard Allan Cure's death

The Florida Innocence Project did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment but in a statement to the Associated Press, executive director Seth Miller said he was devastated by the news of Cure's 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,” Miller said.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor said that Cure was the first person exonerated by his office's Conviction Review Unit.

"The Leonard we knew was a smart, funny and kind person," Pryor said. "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."

Pryor said that Cure would frequently check in on the head of the review unit "and offer our team encouragement to continue to do the important work of justice."

"He had been working a job in security, he was hoping to go to college and wanted to work in broadcast radio production, he was buying his first home," he said. "We send our sincerest condolences to his family and all who knew him."