CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. () — The Camden County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputy that made national news in 2023 for a fatal shooting was indicted by a federal grand jury on civil rights charges Friday.

Former CCSO deputy Buck Aldridge fatally shot 53-year-old Leonard Cure in October 2023. Now, Aldridge is accused of violating the rights of four people 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,” Attorney Ben Crump said.

Shocking video of Cure’s altercation and arrest with former Camden County Sheriff’s Office Staff Sergeant Buck Aldridge gained national attention for alleged excessive use of force.

Cure previously spent 16 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and was exonerated for. Cure’s family said he was finally taking back his life before he was killed.

Just three years after being exonerated, Cure was fatally shot by Aldridge during a traffic stop. District Attorney Keith Higgins opted not to charge Aldridge for 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.