Deputy Who Killed Exonerated Man Was Fired for Using Force
The Georgia sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed a Florida man—who’d been exonerated after spending 16 years behind bars—during a traffic stop had previously been fired after multiple violent encounters while on the job. According to the AP, Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge was disciplined by the Kingsland Police Department for “using unnecessary force” in February 2014 and May 2017. In August 2017, he was ultimately fired after picking up a handcuffed woman and “throwing her on the ground” during a traffic stop. Aldridge was hired by the Camden County Sheriff’s Office just nine months later. In 2022, Aldridge was seen on bodycam footage punching a driver who’d tried to flee from him on Interstate 95. He wasn’t disciplined for that encounter, according to the AP. Last month, Aldridge fatally shot Leonard Cure, 53, who police claim resisted arrest during the traffic stop for speeding and then assaulted the deputy. Videos show that when he was shot, Cure had a hand on Aldridge’s throat, the AP reports.
