A Black inmate’s fatal beating at New York prison ignited outrage: Here’s what we know about the case

Thirteen state department of corrections employees have been suspended without pay while one correction officer resigned after the deadly attack

A 43-year-old inmate was fatally beaten while handcuffed inside a New York prison and the incident was filmed on bodycam footage, leaving many outraged at the scene.

Robert Brooks died on December 10, one day after correction officers hit him at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County.

The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James released the bodycam footage and has opened an investigation into the incident, which she called “shocking and disturbing.” Anger erupted across the state and Brooks’ son hopes his father’s death can be a “catalyst for change.”

Here’s everything we know about the fatal beating:

Who was the victim?

Brooks was halfway through a 12-year prison sentence after being convicted of first-degree assault, according to Department of Corrections records. His sentence began in 2017.

He was transferred on December 9 from Mohawk Correctional Facility to the Marcy Correctional Facility, where he was taken to a medical examination room. That’s where video footage captured the brutal attack taking place — all while Brooks was handcuffed with his hands behind his back, the attorney general’s office said.

Brooks was then taken to a Utica hospital, where he died on December 10. His cause and manner of death have yet to be determined by the medical examiner’s office but preliminary findings showed “concern for asphyxia due to compression of the neck as the cause of death, as well as the death being due to actions of another.”

Bodycam footage shows New York inmate Robert Brooks being beaten by prison staff while restrained on a medical exam table (New York attorney general’s office)

Who was involved?

Fourteen correction facility workers — 13 officers and one nurse — were allegedly involved in the incident. While one officer resigned, the other 13 were suspended without pay, according to the New York Times.

Governor Kathy Hochul called for the individuals involved in the fatal beating to be fired.

Sgts. Michael Mashaw and Glenn Trombly, correction officers Matthew Galliher, Nicholas Anzalone, David Kingsley, Nicholas Kieffer, Robert Kessler, Michael Fisher, CO Christopher Walrath, Michael Along, Shea Schoff and David Walters and nurse Kyle Dashnaw were suspended without pay, Rochester First reported. Correction Officer Anthony Farina resigned.

At least three of those implicated in Brooks’ death — Sgt. Trombly and officers Farina and Anzalone — were previously named in federal lawsuits accusing them of attacking inmates, according to the outlet. One inmate was left disfigured and the other was left in a wheelchair.

What does the video show?

On December 21, James’ office released “shocking and disturbing” footage captured from body-worn cameras that four correction officers were equipped with during the incident.

“I do not take lightly the release of this video, especially in the middle of the holiday season,” she said. “But as Attorney General, I release these videos because I have a responsibility and duty to provide the family, loved ones and all New Yorkers with transparency and accountability.” She added: “My deepest condolences go out to Mr Brooks’ family.”

The footage captures officers surrounding Brooks, who is lying on a medical exam table with his arms behind his back as correction officers punch, kick and choke him. Footage captures them shoving him around like a rag doll.

At one point, Brooks sits up, revealing his bloodied face.

In one video, an officer is seen stuffing a white material in Brooks’ mouth before punching him in the face. At the same time, a second punches him in the groin while a third appears to have his hand pressed to the inmate’s throat. The third officer then hoists Brooks up to a seated position by his neck as another hits Brooks with a shoe.

Bodycam footage captured correction officers beating a handcuffed man, Robert Brooks, 43, at the Marcy Correctional Facility. Thirteen people involved in the incident have been suspended without pay

What prompted the attack?

It’s not immediately clear what prompted the fatal beating.

The cameras were in standby mode during the incident, so they had no sound, meaning it was not clear what was said leading up to or during the attack.

Neither the Department of Corrections employees nor their lawyers have spoken out.

The Correctional Association of New York, an independent prison watchdog in the state, called the fatal incident a “vicious assault” and cited its July 2023 report finding that 70 percent of incarcerated people at the Marcy facility reported racial discrimination or bias. The association’s executive director said the visit to the Marcy facility revealed “pervasive allegations of racial discrimination” and “mistreatment by staff,” including Black inmates being “turned away from the mess hall for wearing their hair in cornrows or braids.”

What was the reaction?

The gruesome attack has sparked widespread outrage and renewed calls for justice reform.

In Manhattan this week, demonstrators marched through Times Square with signs that read “No Justice, No Peace.” In Albany, organizers held a rally outside the governor’s mansion on Monday, News 10 reported.

In the wake of the incident, the governor condemned the attack. “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.”

Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III promised to address a culture of brutality in the wake of the deadly attack.

“It is not enough to simply condemn this horrific act and then go back to business,” Martuscello said in a statement to CNN. “Institutional change 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 state correction officers’ union called the incident “incomprehensible” and “not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day,” WKTV reported.

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks in February. She called the events leading to Brooks’ death ‘shocking and disturbing’ (AP)

Brooks’ ​​family is “incredibly shocked and saddened” about his death, the family said in a statement to The Times-Union.

“We are grateful that Gov. Hochul is taking swift action to hold officers accountable, but we cannot understand how this could have happened in the first place,” the statement continued. “No one should have to lose a family member this way.”

In Rochester, the community held a vigil for Brooks on Monday night; about 150 people attended, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.

Robert Brooks Jr, the son of the deceased inmate, told WIVB that his father “had a loving, generous heart and a special concern for young people.”

“Our deepest wishes are that my father’s death will not be in vain. His killing must be a catalyst for change,” he added. “Our family has focused on supporting one another. But the circumstances surrounding my father’s death has been massively hard. We are taking one thing at a time.”

What’s next?

None of the workers implicated have been formally charged with wrongdoing.

On Monday, Hochul directed Martuscello to appoint a new superintendent at Marcy Correctional Facility and expedited $400 million to install fixed cameras and distribute body-worn cameras in all of the state’s correctional facilities.

The state attorney general’s office, FBI and DOJ are investigating the deadly attack.

A lawyer for Brooks’ family told The New York Times on Monday that they watched the graphic footage and plan to “secure justice.”

“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,” Elizabeth Mazur told the outlet. “We will not rest until we have secured justice for Robert’s memory, and safety for the prisoners at Marcy Correctional Facility.”