Newly released bodycam footage has revealed a disturbing incident involving New York corrections officers beating a handcuffed inmate, 43-year-old Robert Brooks, who died the following morning.
The footage, made public on Friday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, captured the events leading to Brooks’ death at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York on 9 December.
According to BBC, Brooks, who was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault, was pronounced dead on 10 December. Preliminary examinations determined the cause of death to be “asphyxia due to compression of the neck.” It remains unclear why staff initially took him to the prison’s medical facility, and the videos released lack audio.
The graphic footage shows officers repeatedly striking Brooks in the face and groin while he sat handcuffed on an examination table. One officer was seen placing something in Brooks’ mouth before striking him, while another hit him in the stomach with a shoe. At one point, an officer lifted Brooks by the neck and forcefully placed him on the table.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded to the incident by ordering the immediate dismissal of 13 officers and a prison nurse involved in the assault.
“The state of New York has zero tolerance for individuals who break the law, and I am committed to holding everyone involved fully accountable,” she said, describing the incident as “outrageous and horrifying.”
Attorney General James has opened an investigation into the matter. In a statement, she said, “I release the videos because I have a responsibility and duty to provide the Brooks family, their loved ones, and all New Yorkers with transparency and accountability.”
Elizabeth Mazur, representing the Brooks family, described the videos as evidence of “the horrific and extreme nature of the deadly attack.”
She added, “He deserved to live, and everyone else living in Marcy Correctional Facility deserves to know they do not have to live in fear of violence at the hands of prison staff.”
The union representing state prison workers called the video “incomprehensible” and stressed that it does not reflect the conduct of the majority of its members.
However, the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alleged that the incident highlights a systemic issue. “It underscores a culture of violence and a lack of accountability for wrongdoing by corrections officers that puts the lives of incarcerated New Yorkers at risk,” said Donna Lieberman, ACLU’s executive director.
A 2023 report by the Correctional Association of New York, an independent watchdog, highlighted allegations of racial discrimination and mistreatment by prison staff, including black inmates being denied access to mess halls for wearing cornrows or braids.
