Georgia Deputy Under Investigation for Killing Black Driver Has History of Violence During Traffic Stops

Buck Aldridge, the Camden County, Georgia sheriff’s deputy who recently fatally shot Leonard Cure, a Black man,  at point-blank range during a traffic stop, has a history of excessive and violent behavior during similar stops, Russ Bynum reports for the Associated Press. Last year, Aldridge dragged a driver from a car that crashed after fleeing the deputy and repeatedly punched him while he was on his back, but faced no disciplinary action.

Aldridge was also fired in August 2017 by a police department in the same Georgia county after he threw a woman to the ground and handcuffed her during a traffic stop. The Camden County Sheriff’s Office hired him nine months later. Aldridge was also disciplined for using unnecessary force in February 2014 and May 2017 while working at the Kingsland Police Department. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the killing of Cure and will submit its findings to prosecutors. Aldridge’s attorney said the video shows he fired in self-defense. Since last year, six Camden County deputies have been indicted on felony charges and fired for violence against jail detainees and a motorist.