Police in Georgia in the US on Wednesday released video of the arrest and confrontation between a sheriff’s deputy and an African-American man who had been stopped for a traffic violation, which ended with the officer shooting him at point-blank range.

Leonard Alan Cure, 53, died Monday after a Camden County sheriff’s deputy shot him.

The Cambden County Sheriff’s Office said the video was released due to rumors and misinformation circulating about the incident.

The video in question

The sheriff’s office released three videos: one from the sheriff’s deputy’s dash cam and two from his dash cam.

The video shows the deputy sheriff instructing the African-American driver to get out of the car and put his hands behind his back to arrest him. The man responds by saying “do you have a warrant?” The cop goes on to tell him he’s being pulled over for speeding and Cure again reacts by telling him to hang up then. The policeman is still yelling at him without touching him “put your hands behind your back”.

Cure refuses to comply with orders and the officer tazers him. Then Cure attacks him. The two men struggle with Cure grabbing the policeman by the face and cursing at him. Then the policeman pulls out his gun and in the struggle shoots the African-American.

After yelling at him to “stay down” as Cure tries to get up, the sheriff’s deputy places him face down on the pavement and handcuffs him. The officer then begins to provide first aid to Cure, while other colleagues rush to help by applying pressure to the African-American’s chest. They finally put him in an ambulance.

The case is the latest in a string of incidents in which police officers shoot unarmed African-Americans.

The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, known for handling many such cases, said the officer acted too aggressively.

His family Cure – who was acquitted in 2020 after being sentenced to 16 years in prison for armed robbery – watched the video yesterday with her lawyer before it was released.

During a press conference organized by Crump’s law firm and streamed online, his brother, Wallace Cure, said there was “absolutely no reason for my brother to be killed for a traffic violation.”

Cure’s family explained that he was returning home to Atlanta from Florida where he had gone to visit his mother.

Crump accused the sheriff’s deputy of reacting too aggressively from the start, possibly “provoking” Cure, who his family says suffers from extreme stress from years in prison.

“We don’t understand why more efforts weren’t made to de-escalate the situation,” commented the lawyer.