Newly released video of an inmate in Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County has shed more light on the hours before he died while in officers’ custody earlier this month.
New York Attorney General Letitia James released the body-worn camera footage late Friday. It was collected during an ongoing investigation into the death of 43-year old Robert Brooks who died on December 10th, one day after his transfer from the nearby Mohawk Correctional Facility.
At one point in the video, Brooks appears exhausted lying on his back on a medical table, his hands cuffed behind him as two officers repeatedly punched him in the groin, chest and buttocks. At least six other correctional officers are seen looking on. The released video did not include audio.
Upon viewing it, Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the firing of thirteen correctional officers and a nurse and said she is “outraged and horrified” by the “senseless killing.”
The union representing New York correctional officers, described the footage as “incomprehensible” and quote - “not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day.”
The A.G. did not issue an opinion, but said she allowed the video – taken from four different officers’ cameras – to go public in the interest of transparency in the investigation.
The Public Employees Federation (PEF), the union representing many corrections workers, expressed condolences to Brooks' family, while issuing a statement about what's shown in the video.
"The release of the surveillance footage related to the tragic death of Robert L. Brooks has shaken all who believe in justice, integrity, and safety within New York State's correctional facilities. As the union representing civilian employees in these facilities, the Public Employees Federation unequivocally condemns the unacceptable actions captured in these videos. Such behavior has no place in our correctional system and runs counter to our values of fairness, professionalism, and humanity," PEF said in a release."
