The Georgia deputy who fatally shot Leonard Cure, a Broward County man exonerated after spending more than 16 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, has been indicted on federal civil rights charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Buck William Aldridge, 42, a sergeant with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, faces multiple charges for using excessive force and falsifying official reports in connection with at least four separate incidents during his time on the force. The charges are not directly tied to Cure’s killing, but come as renewed attention is being placed on the pattern of conduct that led to the fatal encounter.
Cure’s death shocked the nation in October 2023. Once wrongfully convicted of armed robbery in Broward County, Florida, Cure was cleared and released in 2020 after new evidence — including an ATM receipt — placed him miles away from the crime scene. His exoneration was aided by the Innocence Project of Florida.
But Cure’s story took another tragic turn last year when he was fatally shot during a traffic stop on I-95 near the Florida-Georgia border. He had been visiting his mother in Florida and was pulled over by Aldridge, who claimed Cure was driving over 100 mph. Bodycam footage later showed a confrontation escalating when Aldridge attempted to arrest Cure for reckless driving. After threatening to use a Taser, the footage shows Aldridge deploying it, prompting Cure to retaliate by grabbing and choking the deputy. Aldridge then shot Cure, who died after being treated at the scene.
At the time, the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney determined the shooting was “objectively reasonable,” but Cure’s family and civil rights attorney Ben Crump strongly disagreed. A $17 million wrongful death lawsuit has since been filed against the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, with Cure’s relatives arguing that excessive force was clearly used.
The indictment unsealed Thursday outlines a troubling pattern: Aldridge is accused of repeatedly using excessive force on arrestees and then falsifying Camden County Sheriff’s Office reports to justify the violence. The DOJ has not yet disclosed if more victims are expected to come forward, but the charges paint a picture of systemic abuse — and raise questions about why Aldridge remained on active duty after multiple documented complaints.
Following the indictment, Aldridge was officially relieved of his duties, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a statement emphasizing its commitment to “transparency and accountability.”
Cure, who had been living in metro Atlanta, had been rebuilding his life in the years since his exoneration. He had begun speaking publicly about wrongful convictions, mentoring others impacted by incarceration, and advocating for criminal justice reform.
