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More bodycams at Berlin police and fire departments

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Yesterday, BOSSIP reported on the fatal police shooting of a Georgia man named Leonard Cure. Three years ago, Cure was exonerated from an armed robbery conviction and by all accounts had begun to turn his life around. Sadly, he lost his new lease on life after he was gunned down by a Camden County Sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop that went left.

In our report, we expressed extreme distrust of the police who stated that Cure had become violent with the officer after being told that he would be under arrest for speeding past the boy in blue at “100 mph.” The police have worked hard to earn our distrust and at this point, there is very little that they can do to regain the benefit of the doubt. That said, right is right, and wrong is wrong.

Initially, authorities declined to release the body camera footage of the incident. But perhaps wiser heads prevailed, and today we have the proper video evidence that shows Cure did indeed attack the officer after being tased for refusing to put his hands behind his back.

Via ABC News:

Authorities said they decided Wednesday morning to make the videos available for public review “in an effort to be completely transparent as to what happened, and how the incident escalated to the point of extreme Use of Force.”

Be warned, the following video does not show Leonard Cure being shot, but it can be very disturbing to watch. Please consider your mental health before you press play.

 

Play

Undoubtedly, people will argue about whether or not the officer absolutely had to use lethal force in this instance. Some will say that Cure was not in possession of a weapon and thus, wasn’t a threat to the officer’s life. Others will argue that a wrestling match on the side of the highway with speeding cars flying by is a quick way to die.

What say you? Do you feel like this shooting was justified? Could the officer have used another tactic? Hit the comments and share your perspective.

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