Grisly body-worn camera footage showing state Department of Corrections officers viciously beating an inmate to death is expected to be released Friday as agencies throughout New York prepare for possible unrest the images may cause, the Daily News has learned.
The video of officers beating inmate Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County is “horrific” and has been described as 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.
Additional NYPD cops were ordered up for afternoon and night patrols in Manhattan on Friday in anticipation of the protests the video may cause, a police source with knowledge of the case said.
An email to the NYPD regarding deployments was not immediately returned.
Brooks was handcuffed behind his back when he was beaten by multiple officers, on Dec. 9, according to court documents. He died of his injuries at the hospital 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.
Gov. Kathy Hochul last week directed the state’s corrections department commissioner to terminate 14 workers involved in the fatal attack.
The clash between Brooks and state DOC officers was undergoing an internal review, officials said.
“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, 43, 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.