New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has called for criminal charges against correctional officers who allegedly beat a handcuffed inmate to death after an autopsy report showed he died from homicide.
Bodycam footage of the assault on 43-year-old Robert Brooks went viral on social media in December and elicited outrage across the country.
I know it’s late on a Friday at the end of the year, but I’m posting the video here so it’s easy for all to see. It’s simply some of the most depraved behavior you will ever see from officers of the law.
— Shabazz Stuart (@ShabazzStuart) December 28, 2024
Firing isn’t enough. They beat Robert Brooks to death. pic.twitter.com/GsuSdOjcHG
Brooks had been serving a 12-year sentence for assault at the time of the attack.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Hochul argued that “the legal process must quickly move forward with criminal charges being filed and arrests being made” and that the officers “must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
She further added, “This reprehensible act of violence demands the full force of our justice system – the family of Mr. Brooks deserves no further delays.”
The video footage shows several officers repeatedly punching and kicking Brooks on a hospital bed at Marcy State Correctional while he was waiting to be transported to another facility.
Elizabeth Mazur, an attorney representing Brooks’ family, told CNN that the Onondaga County Medical Examiner identified the cause of death as “compression of the neck and multiple blunt force injuries” and that the cause of death was homicide.
The lawyer released a statement saying they “look forward to the prosecution of those responsible.”
This particular facility has come under scrutiny for the alleged abuses that have occurred over the years, according to CNN.
A 2022 report about Marcy from the Correctional Association of New York, which provides independent oversight of prisons in the state, notes multiple problems at the facility, including allegations of “physical assaults” by staff on inmates and “pervasive allegations of racial discrimination.”
Around 80% of inmates surveyed in the report said they had seen or been subjected to verbal, physical, or sexual abuse by staff. Inmates reported experiencing seemingly random assaults from the staff as well as targeted attacks meted out as punishment, the report found.
The governor announced the appointment of a new superintendent at Marcy Correctional Facility and expedited $400 million to install fixed cameras and distribute body-worn cameras at all Department of Corrections and Community Service (DOCCS) facilities after a visit to the facility following Brooks’ death.
Daniel Martuscello, commissioner of the Corrections Department, announced in December that his office launched an investigation into the incident, asserting that “There is no excuse and no rationalization for a vulgar, inhuman act that senselessly took a life.”
He added: “This type of behavior cannot be normalized, and I will not allow it to be within DOCCS.”
Brooks’ family has filed a civil complaint in federal district court in New York accusing 17 people of using excessive force on the victim.