A person who served 16 years behind bars for against the law that he didn’t commit was shot lifeless by a Georgia sheriff’s deputy throughout a visitors cease.
Leonard Allen Treatment, 53, was fatally shot by the Camden County deputy who pulled him over whereas driving northbound on Interstate 95, in accordance with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), which is reviewing the taking pictures.
Treatment was launched from jail in 2020 after his case was taken up by the Innocence Challenge of Florida, a nonprofit authorized organisation that helps exonerate individuals who have been wrongfully convicted.
The GBI stated that round 7.30am on 16 October, the Camden County deputy carried out the visitors cease.
Officers declare that Treatment exited his automotive on the request of the deputy, who has not been publicly recognized, and complied with the officer till he discovered that he could be arrested.
When he refused to comply with the deputy’s directions, Treatment was shot two instances with a Taser and struck with a baton earlier than he was shot by the deputy. Emergency responders rushed to deal with Mr Treatment, however he later died.
Mr Treatment was stopped as a result of he was reportedly driving recklessly and travelling at speeds of at the very least 90mph in an space the place the pace restrict was 70mph, a spokesperson from the Camden County Sheriff’s Workplace advised The Impartial.
The Impartial has contacted the Camden County Sheriff’s Workplace for remark.
The Innocence Challenge’s government director, Seth Miller, stated he was devastated by information of Treatment’s dying.
“I can solely think about what it’s wish to know your son is harmless and watch him be sentenced to life in jail, to be exonerated and … then be advised that when he’s been freed, he’s been shot lifeless,” Mr Miller stated to the Related Press.
Mr Miller defined that many individuals free of jail are frightened that they might find yourself in custody once more.
“Even once they’re free, they at all times struggled with the priority, the worry that they’ll be convicted and incarcerated once more for one thing they didn’t do,” he stated.
Treatment was convicted in 2003 for an armed theft and assault at a drug retailer in Dania Seashore, Florida.
After an preliminary jury grew to become deadlocked, a second jury determined his destiny and he was sentenced to life in jail on account of different convictions for theft and different crimes he had in his previous.
After 16 years, the Broward State Lawyer’s Workplace’s Conviction Evaluate Unit requested a decide to launch Treatment from jail.
Leonard Treatment had been wrongfully convicted of an armed theft in 2003
(Innocence Challenge of Florida/Related Press)
The unit had stated it had discovered “troubling” proof to counsel that Treatment had a powerful alibi for his innocence within the crime that was beforehand disregarded.
In addition they argued that there was no bodily proof or a stable witness to substantiate that he was on the scene.
Treatment was lastly launched from jail in April 2020, with a decide vacating his conviction and sentence in December.
“After he was freed and exonerated by our workplace, he visited prosecutors at our workplace and took part in coaching to assist our employees do their jobs within the fairest and most thorough method attainable,” Broward State Lawyer Harold Pryor advised The South Florida Solar Sentinel on the time.
Treatment would steadily name to verify in on Assistant State Lawyer Arielle Demby Berger, the top of the Conviction Evaluate Unit, and provide encouragement to proceed to do “the vital work of justice,” Mr Pryor continued.
He additionally advised the paper he was “trying ahead to placing this case behind me and transferring on with my life.”
He had a job, was within the course of of shopping for a brand new house and was aspiring to attend a music manufacturing faculty, in accordance with Reuters.
In August this yr, Treatment acquired $817,000 from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis after he signed a invoice for his compensation for his conviction, together with instructional advantages.
