CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. () — The Camden County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputy, who garnered national attention in 2023 due to a fatal shooting, was indicted by a federal grand jury on civil rights charges on Friday.
Former CCSO deputy Buck Aldridge fatally shot Leonard Cure, aged 53, in October 2023. Aldridge now faces accusations of violating the rights of four individuals in a 13-count indictment.
Cure’s family said they are still fighting for justice two years later.
“She [Cure’s mother] has fought for justice for her son his whole life, and she’s been fighting for justice after they killed him. She will not stop until we get justice for Leonard Cure,” stated Attorney Ben Crump.
A shocking video depicting Cure’s confrontation and arrest by former Camden County Sheriff’s Office Staff Sergeant Buck Aldridge drew national focus for its alleged excessive use of force.
Cure had previously served 16 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and was subsequently exonerated. According to Cure’s family, he was reclaiming his life before his tragic death.
Merely three years post-exoneration, Cure was fatally shot by Aldridge during a traffic stop. District Attorney Keith Higgins decided against charging Aldridge for the use of deadly force in February 2025.
Higgins told the Associated Press that the use of deadly force was “objectively reasonable given that he [Aldridge] was being overpowered at that time.”
“Leonard asked, ‘Well if I was speeding, just give me a ticket,’ but Buck didn’t want to give him a ticket. He wanted to do what he’s done in the past. He wanted to use that taser. He wanted to be violent, as such, and it led to the death of Leonard,” attorney Harry Daniels said.
However, the 13-count indictment does not mention Cure.
“The corruption that permeates police agencies in America is atrocious,” Cure’s brother said. “A corrupt police department took our brother and our mother’s son for 16 years. Now this corrupt police department has taken him permanently.”
Aldridge was fired from the Kingsland Police Department in 2017 for the use of excessive force and resigned from the Camden County Sheriff’s Office following his charges.
Cure’s family has filed a civil lawsuit asking for $16.5 million, $1 million for each year that Cure was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated.
