‘Shocking’ bodycam video released of New York officers fatally beating prisoner

The New York attorney general’s office released body camera footage Friday showing the fatal beating of a state prisoner this month by correctional officers who repeatedly punched and kicked him while he was handcuffed on a hospital bed.

The incident, which sparked outrage among political leaders and was condemned as “incomprehensible” by the civil service union, is being investigated by Attorney General Letitia James. Inmate Robert Brooks, 43, died in hospital a day after the Dec. 9 attack.

“I do not take the release of this video lightly, especially in the middle of the holiday season,” James said at a virtual press conference.

“These videos are shocking and disturbing,” she added.

Brooks is seen in the videos with his hands tied behind his back. In one video, he sits upright while an officer presses his foot on him. He is then beaten by two officers.

At another point he is violently pulled out of bed by his shirt collar and held up above the floor, his face visibly bloody.

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to begin laying off 14 workers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, where the incident occurred. This includes correctional officers, sergeants and a prison nurse. Meanwhile, everyone has been suspended without pay, except for one official who has already resigned.

In a statement following the release of the videos, Daniel Martuscello, the commissioner of the state Department of Corrections, said his office had launched its own investigation to bring about “institutional change.”

“As I watched the video evidence of the killing of Robert Brooks, I felt deeply repulsed and nauseated,” Martuscello said. “There is no excuse and no rationalization for a vulgar, inhumane act that senselessly took a life. This type of behavior cannot be normalized and I will not allow it to occur within DOCCS.”

James said the officers did not activate their body cameras, but they were still on and recording in standby mode. As a result, she added, they recorded no sound and only recorded for 30 minutes.

Her office released the four officers’ entire videos, which contained some blurring.

On Dec. 9, James said, Brooks was transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility, also in Oneida County, to Marcy Correctional Facility. The events occurred in a medical exam room before 9:30 p.m. Brooks was carried into the room hanging upside down with his hands tied behind his back, video shows.

Without audio, it is unclear what words were exchanged between Brooks and the officers. Although he does not appear to physically react in the footage, the videos show different angles and at times it is unclear what is happening to Brooks as the officers move and stand around the room.

After the officers pull Brooks out of bed, he is taken to a corner. Later he can be seen on the bed wearing only his underwear and being cared for by the nurse.

Brooks was taken to the hospital and died the following day. An autopsy was performed and “preliminary results indicate that asphyxia due to compression of the neck is the cause of death and that the death was due to the actions of another person,” according to a state corrections department investigative report obtained by NBC subsidiary is WKTV in Utica.

Following initial media reports, James said her Office of Special Investigations would conduct a review and release the video after Brooks’ family sees it first.

“I have a responsibility and duty to provide transparency and accountability to the Brooks family, their loved ones and all New Yorkers,” she said Friday.

Brooks had been sentenced to 12 years in prison since 2017 for first-degree assault involving a longtime girlfriend. State corrections officials declined to elaborate on what led to Brooks being transferred that night to Marcy Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison.

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday, but the union had previously said it had viewed portions of the videos.

“What we have seen is incomprehensible to say the least and certainly does not reflect the great work that the vast majority of our members do every day,” the union said in a statement this week, adding that it turned out “the opposite “NYSCOPBA” and its membership stand for this.”

Hochul said in a statement that the “vast majority” of correctional officers “do exceptional work under difficult circumstances,” but “we have zero tolerance for individuals who cross the line, violate the law and engage in unnecessary force or targeted abuse.”

Martuscello said the agency has expanded its body camera policy effective immediately, requiring all correctional officers to have their cameras activated each time they interact directly with inmates.

The Correctional Association of New York, an independent prison oversight group, released a report last year after monitoring Marcy Correctional Facility in October 2022. The report noted complaints of “rampant” physical abuse by staff, with 80% of detainees saying they had witnessed or experienced such abuse and nearly 70% reporting racial discrimination or bias.

Brooks’ family thanked Hochul in a statement this week for taking action “to hold officers accountable.”

“We cannot understand how this could even have happened,” the family said. “No one should have to lose a family member this way.”