Horrific bodycam footage shows New York prison guards beating inmate Robert Brooks to death
29 December 2024, 15:25
Horrific body-worn camera footage released on Friday shows correctional officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York punching and kicking a handcuffed inmate in a fatal beating.
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The incident is now under investigation by the New York attorney general.
Robert Brooks was pronounced dead on December 10 at Wynn Hospital in Utica, according to Attorney General Letitia James.
According to prison documents, the 43-year-old had been serving a 12-year prison sentence since 2017 for first-degree assault.
The footage shows Brooks' face to be bloody in parts, with officers kicking and punching him, whilst his hands are handcuffed behind his back.
In one moment, an officer seems to push something in Brooks' mouth before hitting him over and over in the face.
Another officer then punches Brooks in the groin before using a shoe to strike him.
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The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations previously announced it had opened an investigation into Brooks’ death.
On Friday, James said: “As Attorney General, you have my word that we will use every possible tool available to us to investigate this death thoroughly and swiftly."
She said four of the officers involved were wearing body cameras but did not activate them, so the cameras did not record audio of the incident.
“These videos are shocking and disturbing, and I advise all to take appropriate care before choosing to watch them,” she added
Brooks had been transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility, another Oneida County prison, to Marcy Correctional Facility on December 9.
Parts of the footage show Brooks, face down with his hands handcuffed behind his back, being carried into the building by three officers.
But it's not known why Brooks was brought into the exam room.
Brooks died the day after the assault.
Preliminary examinations determined the cause of death was "asphyxia due to compression of the neck."
Elizabeth Mazur, a lawyer representing the Brooks family, said in a statement that the videos show "the horrific and extreme nature of the deadly attack".
"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," Ms Mazur said of Brooks.
After the video's release, Hochul - New York's governor - said that she was "outraged and horrified" by the incident and felt compelled to hold those involved responsible.
"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 added.
The New York union that represents prison workers said in a statement to local media outlets that what "we witnessed is incomprehensible to say the least and is certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day".
