The New York State Attorney General’s Office released body camera footage on Friday showing a state prison inmate repeatedly punching, kicking and assaulting him, causing fatal injuries while handcuffed to a bed in an infirmary earlier this month. Published.
The incident, which has angered political leaders and been called “inexplicable” by the executive union, is being investigated by state Attorney General Letitia James. Inmate Robert Brooks, 43, died in hospital the day after the Dec. 9 attack.
“We don’t take lightly the release of this video, especially in the middle of the holiday season,” James said during a virtual press conference.
“These videos are shocking and disturbing,” she added.
Brooks can be seen in the video with his hands handcuffed behind his back. In one video, he stands up as an officer pins him down. He was then beaten by two police officers.
At another point, he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and forcibly pulled from the bed and lifted onto the ground, his face visibly bloody.
Gov. Cathy Hochul last week ordered the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to begin the process of terminating 14 employees at Mercy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, where the incident occurred. They include correctional officers, sergeants, and prison nurses. During that time, all officers were suspended without pay, except for one officer who had already resigned.
State Department of Corrections Secretary Daniel Martucello said in a statement after the video was released that the department had launched its own investigation to bring about “systemic change.”
“When I saw the video evidence of Robert Brooks’ life being taken, I was deeply disgusted and disgusted,” Martucello said. “There is no excuse or justification for the vile and inhuman acts that senselessly took lives. This type of behavior cannot be normalized and will not be tolerated within DOCCS.”
James said the officers did not have their body cameras activated, but they were still active and recording in standby mode. As a result, no audio was captured and only a 30-minute recording was made, she added.
Her office released the entire video of the four officers, including some blurring.
On Dec. 9, James said Brooks was scheduled to be transferred to Mercy Correctional Facility from Mohawk Correctional Facility, also in Oneida County. The incident occurred in an exam room just before 9:30 p.m., with one video showing Brooks being carried into the room hanging upside down with his hands handcuffed behind his back.
Without audio, it’s unclear what words were exchanged between Brooks and the officer. Although the footage does not appear to show him physically retaliating, the video shows from various angles what is happening to Brooks as officers move and stand around the room. Sometimes it becomes unclear.
Officers pull Brooks out of bed and take him to a corner. He was then seen wearing only his underwear on a bed being attended to by a nurse.
Brooks was taken to the hospital, where he died the next day. According to an investigative report from the state Department of Corrections obtained by an NBC affiliate, an autopsy was conducted and “preliminary findings suggest that the cause of death was asphyxia due to neck compression, and that the death was caused by the actions of another person.” “It is shown.” WKTV in Utica.
Following initial media reports, Ms. James said her Office of Special Investigations would conduct an investigation and release the video after Mr. Brooks’ family first viewed the video.
“I have a responsibility and an obligation to the Brooks family, their loved ones, and all New Yorkers to provide transparency and accountability,” she said Friday.
Brooks had been incarcerated since 2017 on a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault against his longtime girlfriend. State corrections officials did not provide details about how Brooks was transferred to Mercy Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison, that night.
The New York State Prison Officers and Police Benevolent Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday, but the union previously said it had viewed portions of the video.
“What we witnessed was incomprehensible, to say the least, and does not reflect the great work that the vast majority of our members do every day,” the union said in a statement this week. , added that what happened was “everything in reverse for NYSCOPBA” and represents its membership. ”
Hochul said in a statement that while the “vast majority” of prison officers “do an extraordinary job under difficult circumstances,” they “cross the line, break the law, and engage in unnecessary violence and targeted abuse.” We have no tolerance for individuals who engage in it.”
Martusello said the department has expanded its body camera policy, effective immediately, to require all correctional officers to activate their cameras whenever they interact directly with inmates.
The New York Correctional Association, an independent prison watchdog group, released a report last year after monitoring Mercy Correctional Facility in October 2022. The report cited complaints of “rampant” physical abuse by staff, with 80% of inmates reporting symptoms such as: have witnessed or experienced abuse, and nearly 70% report racism or bias.
In a statement this week, Brooks’ family thanked Hochul for taking action to “hold officers accountable.”
The family said, “We can’t understand how this happened in the first place.” “No one should lose a family member like this.”
