UTICA, N.Y. — Body-worn camera video showing an assault on an inmate that led to his death has been released by the New York Attorney General’s Office.
Robert Brooks died on Dec. 10 at a Utica hospital following an encounter with correctional officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility, according to the Associated Press. Brooks had been transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a virtual press conference. Brooks reportedly attempted to bite a corrections officer, according to The Citizen.
The body-worn camera videos were made public on Dec. 27 as part of the investigation into Brooks’ death, the New York Attorney General’s Office said.
“These videos are shocking and disturbing. And I advise all to take appropriate care before choosing to watch them,” James said during the virtual press conference.
James said the officers left their cameras on standby mode, so no audio was captured during the incident.
Video shows Brooks, handcuffed and lying face down, being carried by three officers into the building. It is unclear what circumstances led to Brooks being taken into the exam room. Once in the exam room, video shows officers surrounding Brooks, striking him.
In one video, a corrections officer removes Brooks’ shoes and begins to strike him with it.
Court records indicate one officer punched Brooks in the buttocks and appeared to stomp on his genital area while others restrained him, the Guardian reported. Later, Brooks, bleeding from the face, is pulled onto an exam table, where an officer strikes him in the chest, video shows. That same officer is seen changing bloodied gloves afterward.
Brooks was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault, WHAM reports. His official cause of death has not been released.
In court filings this week, State Police investigators reported that preliminary findings from the medical examiner indicated “concern for asphyxia caused by neck compression” as the cause of death, and classified the death as “due to the actions of another.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered the firing of 14 employees, most of whom are correction officers, for their involvement in the case.
In response to Brooks’ death, the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association said that officers “face daunting odds and the very real possibility of encountering violence,” but added that the “overwhelming majority of our members endure these challenges with the composure and professionalism that we demand of them, and that they demand of themselves.”
“What we witnessed is incomprehensible to say the least and is certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day,” NYSCOPBA said.
