Georgia police officer shoots and kills man who wrongly spent 16 years in prison
Police in Georgia have shot and killed a man who spent 16 years in prison on a wrongful conviction.
Leonard Allen Cure, 53, died on Monday after a police deputy pulled him over as he drove along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida line, authorities said.
Mr Cure was previously sentenced to life in prison in 2003 for the armed robbery of a drug store in Florida. He had prior convictions for robbery and other crimes.
He was released in April 2020 after a judge ruled that Mr Cure had solid alibis that were previously disregarded, and there was no physical evidence or strong witness testimony to put him at the scene.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said Mr Cure was killed at around 7.30am on Monday after he got out of his car at the deputy’s request and complied with the officer’s commands, until learning that he was under arrest.
Leonard Allen Cure on the floor of the Florida Senate on the day his compensation bill was passed in April. Pic: AP
The deputy tasered Mr Cure, who then assaulted the deputy, the GBI added, before the officer used the Taser again, along with a baton.
The deputy then pulled out his gun and shot Mr Cure as he “still did not comply”, the GBI said.
Emergency services treated Mr Cure, but he later died.
The bureau did not say what prompted the deputy to pull over Mr Cure’s vehicle.
A non-profit group, The Innocence Project of Florida, represented Mr Cure in his exoneration case.
Its executive director, Seth Miller, said after speaking to the Cure family: “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.”
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Earlier this year Mr Cure, who lived in a suburb of Atlanta, was given $817,000 in compensation for his wrongful conviction.
Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor, who described the 53-year-old as “smart, funny and kind”, said at the time: “No amount of money will get those years back for Mr Cure or give him peace but it is a small gesture that recognises Mr Cure was wronged and that we, in the State of Florida and in the justice system, will help him and compensate him.
“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.”
Broward assistant state attorney Arielle Demby Berger added: “I’ve gotten to know Mr Cure, ‘Lenny’, these past years and he has encouraged our work as well as helped us train future generations of prosecutors.
“Lenny has shared with me that his dream was one day to work in a cubicle instead of doing manual labour. Now, Lenny can go to college and surpass his dreams.”
The GBI says it is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting.
Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
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In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
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