Video of inmate’s fatal beating shows him handcuffed as correctional officers punch and kick him

CNN

By Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — Body-worn camera footage released Friday shows correctional officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York punching and kicking a handcuffed inmate in a fatal beating that 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. Brooks, 43, had been serving a 12-year prison sentence since 2017 for first-degree assault, The Associated Press reported.

CNN is reviewing the footage, parts of which show surrounding officers kicking and punching Brooks, who has his hands handcuffed behind his back on an exam table in a medical examination room. Brooks’ face appears bloody in some of the footage.

At one point, an officer appears to shove something in Brooks’ mouth before repeatedly hitting him in the face. Another officer then punches Brooks in the groin before using a shoe to strike him.

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations previously announced it had opened an investigation into Brooks’ death.

“As Attorney General, you have my word that we will use every possible tool available to us to investigate this death thoroughly and swiftly,” James said Friday.

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 said.

Brooks had been transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility, another Oneida County prison, to Marcy Correctional Facility on December 9, according to James.

Parts of the footage show Brooks, face down with his hands handcuffed behind his back, being carried into the building by three officers. It’s unclear what led up to Brooks being brought into the exam room.

‘Institutional change must follow’

New York officials quickly condemned the fatal beating. Governor Kathy Hochul said Friday she was “outraged and horrified after seeing footage of the senseless killing of Robert Brooks.” The governor previously said in a Saturday statement she had directed an internal review of Brooks’ death and told the state correction department to fire 14 workers involved.

“The vast majority of correction officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service,” Hochul said. “But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse.”

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision also denounced the attack. Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III said in a statement shared with CNN the video left him “feeling deeply repulsed and nauseated” and that he would implement “institutional change” at the department.

“It is not enough to simply condemn this horrific act and then go back to business,” Martuscello said. “Institutional change must follow, and we have already begun to take proactive steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever happen again within our facilities.”

The commissioner said he had instituted a daily audit to ensure body cameras are being properly activated at each facility and taken steps to ensure “senior leaders” are present for all shifts in each facility.

The Marcy Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Oneida County, around 52 miles east of Syracuse.

The Brooks family has reviewed the body camera footage of the beating, Elizabeth Mazur, an attorney for the family, said in a statement to CNN.

“As expected, watching the horrific and violent final moments of Robert’s life was devastating for his loved ones, and will be disturbing to anyone who views the video following its release by the Attorney General’s Office,” the statement said. “We will not rest until we have secured justice for Robert’s memory, and safety for the prisoners at Marcy Correctional Facility.”

In a Sunday statement, NYSCOPBA, the union that represents New York correctional officers, described the footage of the beating as “incomprehensible to say the least” and “certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CNN’s Caroll Alvarado and Tanika Gray contributed to this report.