Video of inmate’s fatal beating shows him in handcuffs as corrections officers punch and kick him

Body-worn camera footage released Friday shows corrections officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York punching and kicking a handcuffed inmate. a fatal beating it is now under investigation by the New York Attorney General.

Robert Brooks was pronounced dead Dec. 10 at Wynn Hospital in Utica, according to Attorney General Letitia James. Brooks, 43, had been serving a 12-year prison sentence since 2017 for first-degree assault, Associated Press reported.

CNN is reviewing the footage, parts of which show surrounding officers kicking and punching Brooks, who has his hands handcuffed behind his back on an examination table in a medical exam room. Brooks’ face looks bloody in some of the footage.

At one point, an officer appears to shove something into Brooks’ mouth before repeatedly punching him in the face. Another officer then punches Brooks in the groin before using a shoe to hit him.

New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations previously announced it had opened an investigation into Brooks’ death.

“As attorney general, you have my word that we will use every possible tool available to us to investigate this death thoroughly and quickly,” James said Friday.

She said four of the officers involved were wearing body cameras but did not activate them, so the cameras did not record audio of the incident.

“These videos are shocking and disturbing and I advise everyone to take appropriate care before choosing to view them,” she said.

Brooks had been transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility, another Oneida County jail, to Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9, according to James.

Parts of the footage show Brooks, face down with his hands handcuffed behind his back, being carried into the building by three officers. It is unclear what led to Brooks being brought into the exam room.

‘Institutional changes must follow’

Officials in New York quickly condemned the fatal beating. Governor Kathy Hochul said Friday she was “outraged and horrified after watching footage of the senseless killing of Robert Brooks.” The governor said that earlier in a Saturday announcement she had directed an internal review into Brooks’ death and asked the state Department of Corrections to fire 14 workers involved.

“The vast majority of corrections officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service,” Hochul said. “However, we have zero tolerance for individuals who cross the border, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse.”

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision also condemned the attack. Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III said in a statement shared with CNN that the video left him “deeply repulsed and sickened” and that he would implement “institutional changes” in the department.

“It is not enough to simply condemn this horrific act and then go back to the case,” Martuscello said. “Institutional changes must follow, and we have already begun to take proactive steps to ensure that nothing like this can ever happen again within our facilities.”

The commissioner said he had instituted a daily audit to ensure body cameras are properly activated at each facility and taken steps to ensure “senior managers” are present for all shifts at each facility.

Marcy Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Oneida County, about 82 miles east of Syracuse.

The Brooks family has reviewed the body camera footage of the beating, Elizabeth Mazur, an attorney for the family, said in a statement to CNN.

“As expected, watching the horrific and violent final moments of Robert’s life was devastating for his loved ones and will be disturbing to anyone who views the video following its release by the Attorney General’s Office,” the statement said. “We will not rest until we have secured justice for Robert’s memory, and safety for the prisoners at Marcy Correctional Facility.”

In a statement Sunday, NYSCOPBA, the union representing New York’s correctional officers, described the footage of the beating as “unbelievable, to say the least” and “certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our members do every day.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN’s Caroll Alvarado and Tanika Gray contributed to this report.

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