Official announcements or press releases from the Governor's office

NY AG Releases Footage of Officers Fatally Beating African-American Inmate at Marcy Prison; FBI Investigating

Dec 28, 2024, 03:42 PM

New York Attorney General Letitia James has released body-worn camera footage showing correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility fatally beating 43-year-old African-American inmate Robert Brooks while he was handcuffed. The incident occurred on December 9, and Brooks died on December 10 from asphyxia at Wynn Hospital in Utica, New York. Brooks was serving a 12-year sentence imposed in 2017 for first-degree assault. The videos depict officers repeatedly punching, kicking, and stomping on Brooks in an examination room, with one officer striking him in the chest with a shoe and others lifting him by the neck and dropping him. Some officers appeared to smirk during the beating. Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the act as "vulgar, inhumane, and senseless," and announced that 13 correctional officers and a nurse implicated in the attack will face termination. The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations is conducting an inquiry into the incident, and the FBI is also investigating. At least three of the officers involved had prior complaints filed against them in court for alleged brutal attacks on inmates.