Newly released body camera footage has revealed a disturbing incident in which New York correctional officers beat a handcuffed inmate, Robert Brooks, 43, who died the next morning.
The images, made public on Friday by New York Attorney General Letitia James, captured the events leading up to Brooks' death at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York on December 9.
According to the BBC, Brooks, who was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault, was pronounced dead on December 10. Preliminary examinations determined that the cause of death was “asphyxiation due to neck compression.” It remains unclear why staff initially took him to the prison's medical center, and the posted videos lack audio.
Graphic footage shows officers repeatedly punching Brooks in the face and groin while he sat handcuffed on an examination table. One officer was seen placing something in Brooks' mouth before punching him, while another hit him in the stomach with a shoe. At one point, an officer lifted Brooks by the neck and placed him forcefully on the table.
READ ALSO: Air crash: Putin apologizes to Azerbaijan without taking responsibility
New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded to the incident by ordering the immediate firing of 13 officers and a prison nurse involved in the attack.
“The state of New York has zero tolerance for people who break the law, and I am committed to holding everyone involved fully accountable,” she said, describing the incident as “shocking and horrifying.”
Attorney General James has opened an investigation into the matter. In a statement, he said: “I post the videos because I have a responsibility and duty to provide transparency and accountability to the Brooks family, their loved ones, and all New Yorkers.”
Elizabeth Mazur, representing the Brooks family, described the videos as evidence of “the horrific and extreme nature of the deadly attack.”
She added: “He deserved to live, and everyone else who lives at Marcy Correctional Center deserves to know that they do not have to live in fear of violence at the hands of correctional staff.”
The union representing state prison workers called the video “incomprehensible” and stressed that it does not reflect the conduct of the majority of its members.
However, the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alleged that the incident highlights a systemic problem. “It underscores a culture of violence and a lack of accountability for the wrongdoing of corrections officials that puts the lives of incarcerated New Yorkers at risk,” said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the ACLU.
A 2023 report by the New York Correctional Association, an independent watchdog, highlighted allegations of racial discrimination and mistreatment by prison staff, including denying black inmates access to dining halls for wearing cornrows or cornrows.
READ ALSO TOP STORIES OF Newslodge