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Curry won cases, made friends and a few critics

A man who, for most of his life, fought for justice, is now fighting for his life.

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - In 2010, Terry Curry was elected to a prosecutor's office embroiled in controversy and scandal.

"I think we have the ability to restore confidence in the prosecutor's office and the police department," Curry said in an election night interview.

Since then, voters have re-elected Curry twice.

"I think there are more positives than negatives when it comes to Prosecutor Terry Curry," said Rev. Charles Harrison, founder of the Ten Point Coalition.

Harrison praised Curry for supporting and working with neighborhood crimefighting groups.

"In being on the front end trying to prevent particularly young people from getting in trouble," he said.

Curry built a reputation for being a straight shooter who was tough on crime.

By his count, the office prosecuted 76 police officers. Former IMPD officer David Bisard is the most notable. Bisard was on duty and driving drunk when he killed a motorcyclist and injured two others. The prosecutor's office worked three years to get a conviction.

But in 2017 when two police officers opened fire on an unarmed Aaron Bailey in 2017 killing the man, Curry turned the case over to a special prosecutor. No charges were filed, angering members of the African American community.

"This was another case where another individual was shot and there was no justice and they felt like he should have stepped up as the prosecutor," Harrison said.

The Richmond Hill explosion, investigation and trials were Curry's biggest challenge. The intentionally set blast killed a young couple, destroyed dozens of homes and decimated an entire neighborhood. There were thousands of pieces of evidence and well over 100 potential witnesses. All of the five people charged were found guilty or confessed.

"It is gratifying to reach this sort of conclusion," Curry said at the time.

In the political arena, Curry supported a hate crimes law and better background checks for people buying firearms.

A man who, for most of his life, fought for justice, is now fighting for his life.

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