NEW YORK, NY – Body camera footage revealed last week New York prison guards at Marcy Correctional Facility beating a handcuffed incarcerated man, eventually leading to his death in early December.
The body cam footage shows 43-year-old Robert Brooks physically assaulted in an examination room by four prison guards where he was handcuffed from behind, stripped down to his underwear during the beating, and left unconscious, according to the New York Post.
The following day, Dec. 10, Brooks was declared dead at Wynn Hospital in Utica, and, according to the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office, Brooks died from “asphyxia due to compression of the neck,” Syracuse.com reported.
Attorney General Letitia James made the recordings public. They showed three correction officers “repeatedly punching, kicking and stomping” on Brooks, according to the New York Post.
James also emphasized her “duty and responsibility” was to provide the public with the video and is “investigating this case thoroughly,” according to her office. James’ team met with the Brooks family to review the footage of what occurred.
The Attorney General added the day of the incident Brooks was transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, NY to Marcy Correctional Facility roughly 12 miles away.
Though it is unknown what initiated the incident the footage reveals a violent beatdown by prison guards, said the Post. The video, which had no sound, showed four jail guards surrounding Brooks.
As seen in the video AG James released, three jail guards began punching Brooks in the face and stomach and stomped on his lower torso area. Other officers were also shown to be standing nearby, while Brooks had blood streaming down the right-side of his swollen face.
One guard momentarily held Brooks in a chokehold on the exam table. Then, Brooks was taken to a wall, but the guards’ bodies cover what was happening at that moment.
Brooks was eventually brought back to the exam table where he was stripped down to his underwear appearing unconscious and limp, the video shows. The duration of this incident was approximately 30 minutes, as reported by the New York Post.
Daniel Martuscello, III, the state Corrections Commissioner, said he was “deeply repulsed and nauseated” by the body camera footage.
“There is no excuse and no rationalization for a vulgar, inhumane act that senselessly took a life,” added Martuscello. He also stated the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision would be implementing changes to “to ensure that nothing like this can ever happen again within our facilities.”
Consequently, he told the Post he is in the process of firing the guards involved per Gov. Kathy Hochul’s request and has since suspended 13 prison staff members.
“This was a killing, and people will be held accountable,” Martuscello said. “These individuals are not representative of the culture of DOCCS nor anything that DOCCS stands for.”
Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio referred to the incident as “egregious and repugnant” and said the officers “are a disgrace to our profession.”
The attorney for Brooks’ family, Elizabeth Mazur, stated the public “can now view for themselves the horrific and extreme nature of the deadly attack on Robert L. Brooks.”
Mazur added, “As viewers can see, Mr. Brooks was fatally, violently beaten by a group of officers whose job was to keep him safe. 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.”
Additionally, Rev. Al Sharpton expressed “their actions in this tape not only justify their firing but should merit appropriate criminal charges.”
The Democrat & Chronicle reported Brooks was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault in 2017 for stabbing his girlfriend multiple times.
The New York Post added, as a result of the footage being released, security on Rikers Island has been increased in preparation for potential unrest. This was a result of the Gorilla Stone Bloods showing support for Brooks on social media, despite Brooks not being a member of the gang.
