The New York State Department of Correction officers from Marcy Correctional Facility who were caught on body-worn cameras viciously beating inmate Robert Brooks to death are a disgrace to their profession, critics said Saturday as harrowing videos of the incident outraged civil rights and law enforcement groups alike.
The four videos released by state Attorney General Letitia James’ office on Friday show about a half-dozen uniformed state DOC officers repeatedly punching and striking inmate Brooks, 43, as they pin him onto a gurney inside Marcy’s infirmary.
Brooks’ hands are handcuffed behind his back and his legs are shackled as the officers repeatedly punch him in the face, torso and legs. The officers also yank him around by his neck, strike him in the stomach with one of the inmate’s own shoes and appear to stuff something into his mouth.
They then hold him down and seem to cover his mouth and nose as the beatings continue, the video shows.
“These videos are shocking. Disturbing,” James said in a video message as she released the footage Friday. “I advise all take appropriate care before choosing to watch them.”
Law enforcement watchdogs called the body worn camera footage “horrific,” with some describing it worse than the 2020 viral video of the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, which sparked widespread protests throughout the country.
“The footage of Robert Brooks’ death is as horrifying as what we saw when George Floyd, Tyre Nichols, and countless other Black men and women have been killed by law enforcement,” Rev. Al Sharpton said Friday. “These officers clearly thought they were within their right to hit Brooks in the stomach with the heel of a boot, level punches at his face or torso, and throw him around like a rag doll — all with his hands behind his back. They were wrong.
“It is disturbing that some of them had the sense to smile and smirk while a human being was forced against a wall by three officers just a few feet away,” Sharpton said. “Their actions in this tape not only justify their firing but should merit appropriate criminal charges.”
State DOC Sergeant Glenn Trombly and Officers Michael Along, Michael Fisher and Matthew Galliher, who were all involved in bringing Brooks to the infirmary, had their body worn cameras on but “did not activate them” during their interaction with Brooks, James said.
The cameras recorded their interaction with Brooks in standby mode, so there is no sound, James noted.
Trombly and another DOC officer, Anthony Farina, who is also allegedly involved in the attack on Brooks, are defendants in a separate prisoner abuse case and are known as the Marcy Correctional Facility’s “beat up squad,” according to court papers.
Gov. Hochul last week directed the state’s corrections department commissioner to terminate more than a dozen workers involved in the fatal attack.
The clash between Brooks and state DOC officers was undergoing an internal review, officials said. So far, none of the officers have been criminally charged.
“[We are] conducting an exhaustive review of the facts and evidence,” James said. “We will use every possible tool to investigate this death thoroughly and swiftly.”
Benny Boscio, the president of the Correction Officer’s Benevolent Association — the officers who man Rikers Island and other city jails — called the state DOC officers actions “egregious and repugnant.”
“This incident is completely contrary to the values we hold dear and the oath we take as correction officers,” Boscio said. “These officers are a disgrace to our profession and should be held accountable for their abhorrent misconduct.”
Brooks was transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Marcy Correctional Facility, both in Oneida County on Dec. 9. Officers first took him to the Marcy infirmary, where the beating took place.
Two officers were recorded carrying the struggling Brooks into the infirmary by the inmate’s arms and legs — with his arms handcuffed behind his back and yanked high over his head.
In the videos, Brooks appears fazed and barely conscious. He’s talking and pleading with the guards, who pretty much ignore him.
One DOC officer stomps on Brooks groin as two other officers try to subdue him on the gurney before some kind of exam. At one point another DOC officer, wearing blue latex gloves, yanks him up by the scruff of the neck and drags him to the back of the room by a window.
Other officers and prison staff are recorded smiling and joking with each other as Brooks is being manhandled.
As this bizarre interaction continues, Brooks is stripped to his underwear and repeatedly punched as the officers and prison staff check his vitals. At this point, Brooks is unconscious, the video shows.
Brooks was ultimately taken to an area hospital, where he died the next day. The initial cause of death has been determined as “asphyxia due to compression of the neck,” though full autopsy results are still pending, according to the Daily Sentinel.
“The vast majority of correction officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service,” Hochul said in a statement. “But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse.”
Brooks had been serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault since 2017, according to the department.
State Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III also denounced the staffers’ actions and said the suspensions are “in the best interest of the agency and the communities we serve.”
“There is no place for brutality in our department and we will vigorously pursue justice against the individuals who committed this senseless act,” he said in an emailed statement. “These investigations are ongoing and additional suspensions may be issued.”
Brooks’ family said in a statement from their lawyer that they are “incredibly shocked and saddened” about the death, according to The Times-Union in Albany, which first reported the death.
With News Wire Services
