NY attorney general releases video of prison beating death of Robert Brooks

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

The following video contains scenes of violence and death. It may not be appropriate for all viewers.

The New York Attorney General’s office has released video footage of the beating death of 43-year-old prisoner Robert Brooks.

The video shows as many as eight employees of the state Department of Correction and Community Services punching, kicking and grabbing at Brooks, who had just been transferred into the Marcy Correctional Facility.

Brooks was in the middle of serving a 12-year sentence for stabbing an ex-girlfriend in 2016.

The video has no audio on it, which Attorney General Letitia James said was because the cameras were in standby mode, meaning they were on but that the officers had not activated them.

The video recorded the incident on the night of December 9th, showing Brooks being carried into a medical exam room. It shows officers punching Brooks and one stuffing a white cloth into his mouth.

The attorney general said Brooks died on the morning of December 10th, just hours after the actions in the video. The correction department announced Brooks’s death on December 15th, prompting an investigation under state law.

On December 23rd, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the state correction commissioner to fire 14 officers either directly involved or who failed to intervene.

In a statement Friday after the attorney general released the footage, Hochul said, “Like all New Yorkers, I was outraged and horrified after seeing footage of the senseless killing of Robert Brooks. I have been clear that it is the responsibility of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to provide appropriate care and protection for those in its custody, and I will not tolerate anyone who violates that responsibility.”

This is not the first time that the Marcy Correctional Facility has faced scrutiny for its treatment of prisoners.

The Correctional Association of New York, a prison watchdog, released a report following a 2022 visit to Marcy, saying it found “rampant abuse by staff” and “pervasive allegations of racial discrimination.”

For Straight Arrow News, I’m Lauren Taylor.

And for all the latest updates on this and other top stories, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit SAN.com.