Body-worn camera footage has emerged that exposes one of the most harrowing attacks reported at Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York. The footage includes shots of correctional officers pounding on Robert Brooks, who was handcuffed and who died from the assault. That incident, which took place on December 10, is currently under examination by the New York Attorney General’s Office.
Shocking Details Caught on Camera
Videos unsealed Friday show Brooks, 43, hands shackled behind his back, being repeatedly punched by corrections officers in a medical examination room. The video shows officers punching and kicking Brooks in the face, chest and groin; one officer used a shoe as a weapon. Material at one point appears to be shoved into Brooks’s mouth as he is restrained.
Brooks, serving 12 years for first-degree assault, had been transferred to Marcy Correctional Facility just one day before the fatal beating. It also shows officers carrying Brooks into the building as the violence escalates.
Official Responses and Calls for Change
The video has elicited swift outrage from state officials: Governor Kathy Hochul decried the killing as “senseless,” ordering an internal review and recommending the termination of 14 correctional staff members present at the time of the murder. The commissioner pledged changes within the department, with increased scrutiny over body cameras and closer monitoring of personnel conduct.
Institutional change must follow,” said Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III in a release to underscore that changes must be made to avoid incidents of this nature happening in the future.
The Attorney General’s Office also announced the initiation of a full and transparent investigation of the incident. Eight body-worn camera videos were released; however, concerns regarding the absence of audio being turned on during the time of the assault have sparked departmental policies into question.
Medical Issues and Lawsuits Filed Medical experts who analyzed the video said the way the officers moved Brooks’ body could have killed him. Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician, said that force to Brooks’ neck during the attack could have caused a severe spinal cord injury resulting in immediate paralysis of breathing.
The Brooks family has watched the video with a lawyer present. They promise to fight for justice for Robert Brooks and to work for better protection of the rights of inmates while in custody of the Department of Corrections.
This incident is a pointer to the immediate systemic reform in correctional facilities for the prevention of abuse and accountability for the acts of violence. Investigations continue to ensure justice delivery and measures that will ensure safety for people in custody.
