[Body-worn camera footage shows correctional officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York punching and kicking a handcuffed inmate in a fatal beating. Robert Brooks, 43, was pronounced dead on December 10 at Wynn Hospital in Utica after being transferred to the facility on December 9.
The footage, released Friday, shows Brooks with his hands handcuffed behind his back being punched and kicked by multiple officers. 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.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the investigation into Brooks’ death and described the videos as “shocking and disturbing.” James stated that four of the officers involved were wearing body cameras but did not activate them, so the cameras did not record audio of the incident.
The New York governor, Kathy Hochul, condemned the fatal beating, calling it “senseless killing” and directing an internal review of Brooks’ death. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision also denounced the attack and vowed to implement institutional change.
The Brooks family has reviewed the body camera footage and has expressed devastation and determination to secure justice for Robert’s memory and safety for prisoners at Marcy Correctional Facility.
The Marcy Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Oneida County, and the facility has been ordered to implement new procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. The incident is still under investigation by the New York attorney general.
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