Two months after the state of Florida formally apologized to Leonard Cure for the 16 years he lost following a wrongful conviction for armed robbery, authorities say he was fatally shot Monday by a sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop just across the state line in Georgia.

“He and his family deserved better,” the Innocence Project of Florida said in a statement. “Lenny’s life mattered.”

Cure’s quest to rebuild his life after being wrongfully convicted in 2003 ended tragically on the shoulder of Interstate 95 in South Georgia on Monday morning.

On Wednesday, the Camden County, Georgia, sheriff’s office released body-worn and dash camera videos of the moments leading up to the shooting.

In the dash cam video, the deputy begins pursuing Cure with his sirens on after Cure’s vehicle passes his. The pursuit lasts about one minute and 20 seconds.

  • deweydecibel@lemmy.worldEnglish
    317·
    9 months ago

    It’s that he didn’t pull over instantly. Cops are taught resistance or even slowness to comply is a threat to their authority and merits escalation. If the cop is not completely in control of the situation (or if they feel they aren’t), they’re taught to take control of it aggressively, regardless of the context of the situation. Resistance is a potential threat to be extinguished quickly, ask questions later.

    They’re taught to be hyper aggressive cowards.

    • RGB3x3@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      9 months ago

      I once sped past a cop driving in an unmarked car (cruising in the left lane and not passing anyone). She put her lights on and I figured “well I’ve been caught, no sense in trying to slow all the way down” so I reasonably took like 30 seconds to find a place to pull over, driving at regular traffic speed.

      She asked me if I was trying to run… Like, no, I’m just looking for a place to stop that isn’t the side of the road.

      Cops almost instantly expect you to run or get violent, which causes people to get defensive anyway.